


Reaper

by WriterJunkie



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Secret Society
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-22 16:24:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21305048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterJunkie/pseuds/WriterJunkie
Summary: On the run for some time now, Tori didn't expect to find a whole new world and a hidden world she couldn't dream of.
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey! You need to pay for those!” 

Briskly, the thief in the third isle shoved the stolen goods in their backpack and cut through the isle. They made a sharp turn around the end of the aisle, jamming their shoulder into the shelf and knocked a stack of chips to the floor. Shaking off the impact, the thief made a dash for the door. 

The clerk jumped over the counter giving chase. The thief sporting a dingy denim jacket over a black sweater placed a hand on the back of the hood of their sweater and grabbed the door handle. A cluster of five bells tied above the door rang just as the assailant ran onto the sidewalk and turned left. 

A second ring came, but just as the clerk stepped outside the thief was long gone, masked by the night in their escape. The chase to an abrupt end. He let out a string of curses and kicked at the door frame before storming back inside in a fit of rage. 

Tori slowed down after running down her fifth block and came to a complete stop once she entered the nearest alleyway, taking coverage besides a dumpster. She crouched down and leaned back, catching her breath. A sharp growl from her stomach brought her attention back to her backpack and rummaged through her spoils for the night. 

She grunted in disappointment. In the noise of that chaos, all Tori had managed to snag were three peanut butter cookies and two bags of chips. The chips would be too salty to eat and Tori drank the last of her water this afternoon. 

She wasn't able to reach the drinks on time. Aside from the chips, the cookies will do and hold her over for a few hours, but what Tori needed the most was a heavier meal, preferably meat for protein. She had been doing a lot more climbing and jumping than usual and she could use the extra boost of energy. 

Tori knew thinking about that was a far fetched dream. The supermarket had too many people and that meant it was a lot easier for her to be identified. Even if she were able to get her hands on a steak, she would have to cook the meat first. 

Tori had already taken a risk at the convenience store. She knew most of them had video cameras. Tori had taken precaution to cover herself as much as she could, her hood up and shades on her face to mask herself a little more, but that had proven to do nothing in her favor as she tried to leave, nearly blinded by the shades. 

The closest Tori got to her needed boost of protein was a jar of peanut butter, but that ended last month. She had gotten better at proportioning it, just a spoonful a day, sometimes two if she really needed it, but the longest she's kept a jar of peanut butter was six months. She didn't stay in the store long enough to see if she could get her hands on one. 

With shaking hands, Tori ripped into a pack of cookies and counted how many were inside. A total of four peanut-shaped cookies with peanut butter filling sandwiched in between. That meant she had eight more cookies. It would last until noon. 

Carefully, Tori snapped the cookie in half and nibbled on it to savor its sweet flavor and crunchy texture. When the first half was done, Tori bit into the second half. She stopped after her third cookie and put the last cookie back into its small package before stuffing it into her backpack. 

She licked the crumbs on her lips off and closed her backpack before standing up again. The need for water will be dealt with in the morning. Tori knew there were a park forty blocks from here, but the city kept it locked after hours and police did routinely patrols. It was safer to wait until morning when it was opened to the public to fill up her water bottle again. 

Right now, it was best Tori sleep to save her energy for the long trip. Eight blocks away, she came across an empty and beat-down warehouse. She made her way to the back of the warehouse and crawled through the small gap in the chain-linked fence. There was a stack of crates that she climbed to reach one of the windows.

Tori slipped through a broken window and dropped down into a crouch. Finding her balance again, Tori steadily stood and examined her surroundings. The warehouse was dark and silent, but Tori liked it that way. 

Being alone meant she had no one to worry about and she didn't have to worry about what little she had being taken either while she slept. Tori had come across her fair share of homeless people, both old and young and while she's made friends with some of them it was better to travel alone. She has taken into account how dangerous it is to travel alone too. 

Tori was an easy target to be mugged, but she has been able to take care of herself for the most part. She's been alone long enough to make up her own protocol for safety. While she traveled during the day she spent that time looking for food, but for the next place to sleep and had made sure if others had taken refuge. 

Tori made sure to find a way in and several ways out in case of an emergency. She always slept on the second floor. She felt safer sleeping above ground because it gave her a better chance to see any danger ahead. 

Sneaking through the warehouse, Tori examined it one more time for any changes since she's the last visit and silently tread up a flight of metal stairs before settling down to the nearest corner. The warehouse was still intact, the walls solid, but a few windows were cracked. 

Tori always settled for a corner that had a window next to it. It was easier to keep a watch for any unwanted visitors. Pulling back her hood, Tori let out another heavy sigh and ran a hand through her brown locks. 

She pulled out a blanket from her backpack. Tori laid it out on the floor and used her backpack as a pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable bed, but it was a place to sleep for the night and it beats having to sleep on a bench. 

Rolling on to her side, Tori curled up and took some of the blankets to cover herself. Another sigh came, Tori brushed the back of her hand under her eye just as a tear touched her face. One thing that didn't change during her travels was the tears.

Tori always cried once she settled into bed, sometimes crying herself to sleep, but it was never restful. It had been a year since she left home and she never found a way to adjust. Tori missed home. She missed family pot pie. She missed her mom. Tori even missed Trina. Tori missed her father the most. 

Sniffling, Tori dabbed at her nose with the sleeve of her jacket and brushed away another wave of salty tears. It has been a year since he left too. That was something Tori would never get used to. She hasn't found a way through the grieving stage, but it had been a year and she wasn't able to cope with her father's death. 

The grief never went away and the sadness was a lot stronger. Tori will never forget the day her mother told her that her father passed away. Even Trina was speechless. It had changed her world completely and opened a whole new one that Tori was scared to explore. 

They nearly lost their house, but that had seemed to spiral into a chain reaction of bad luck. Tori flinched as a shot of heat ripped through the center of her palm. She shook her hand to break away the spike of heat and laid it flat to the ground. 

Tori could never think about her dad for long and spending the entire night crying about it was pointless. Taking a deep breath, Tori slowly released the mouthful of air and closed her eyes, hoping this time she would dream of past pleasant memories of her family before it fell apart. 

***

Jade put her fifth empty bottle of beer on the coffee table across from her. She let out a heavy sigh of relief as the buzz of the alcohol had started to swarm around her head. Not satisfied with her results, Jade reached back into the six-pack of beer, only one beer remaining.

She picked up the ice-cold bottle and twisted off the cap. Before she could bring the bottle to her mouth, she felt a warm hand clamp around her wrist. She turned to her left, meeting eyes with soft brown eyes that showed no signs of fear as she glared. 

“Don't you think you've had enough Jade?” Beck asked, keeping his hold on her wrist. “You're driving home.” 

Jade scoffed. “I can still drive just fine.” She jerked her arm free from Beck's hand, causing the beer to spill out on to her shirt and fizz at the top of the open bottle, spilling on to her lap. 

Beck snatched the beer from her hand and put it on to the table. Jade stood up, wiping the beer that didn't seep into her clothes on to the floor, sprinkling some of it on to Beck in the process. Seeing that the stain was set, Jade let out a groan. 

“I'm cutting you off,” Beck stated. 

“Fine, then I'm out of here,” Jade complained, picking up her coat off the couch and stormed toward the front door. 

“Jade,” Beck called. “You can't drive like this.” Seeing that he wasn't going to get Jade to cooperate he raced over, taking her by the arm and pulled her back. 

“Let go of me Beck!” Jade shouted. 

“I'm not going to let you leave like this. You're drunk.” Beck rationed.

“I'm not drunk.” Jade corrected. “A little tipsy, but fully functional.” 

“And who is to say that you won't make a stop at a liquor store and finish off the job?” Beck scoffed. 

“Why does it matter to you?” Jade laughed. “I'm a big girl.” 

Beck stared down at her, with a stern expression. “I'm not letting you out of here.” 

Feeling anger get the best of her, Jade glared at Beck one last time before ripping her arm free again and pushed him. He stumbled back a few feet, finding his footing as he pressed his hand against the wall behind him.

Beck stood back up, coming back to Jade and sidestepped as she lashed out to try and push him again. The move had only angered her more. Beck was quick enough to duck an oncoming hit toward his face. 

“Jade, calm down,” Beck spoke, realizing the beer had started to rid Jade of all rational thoughts. 

Another punch went out toward him, but the only thing that kept it from landing was the beer that Jade had consumed. It made her slow and clumsy, completely off her game from what she usually was. Beck lunged forward, outstretching his hand and wrapped it around her waist. 

He pulled her into a bear hug, keeping her trapped between his chest and her arms tied down with his own arms. He could feel her struggling and fighting to get free. 

“Listen to me,” Beck whispered. “Jade, listen.” A few seconds later, Jade had started to calm down. He only released her once the struggling stopped.

With his arms at his sides, Beck looked down back into ice blue eyes that lost its edge and had become more dull and teary. Beck's hands tangled through Jade's fingers into a comforting hold. He watched Jade gulp, biting back an on-coming sob. 

He noticed the flush of red contrast against pale cheeks and spread to her ears. Beck closed the gap between them and reached down to seal their lips together. His hand cupped around the back of Jade's neck, bringing her closer. 

The kiss first started out slow and delicate, but as time passed it picked up to a more passionate and urgent kiss. Jade's two arms wrapped around Beck's neck, bringing forth enough courage for him to pick Jade up off her feet and tie her arms around his hips, before stepping forward and slamming her against the kitchen counter. 

The bump against the hard surface made Jade's breath hitch and what little desire she had instantly washed out. She pulled away from Beck, wigging her legs free from his hold. Picking up on the shift of the atmosphere, he released her and took a step back to settle down the flames of desire burning in the pit of his stomach. Jade ran a hand through her hair in an exasperated sigh. 

“I'm sorry.” Beck apologized. “I didn't mean to...” 

“I really think I should leave,” Jade whispered, trying to put the sparks of her own lust under control. 

“Wait, Jade, you know I didn't mean to kiss you. I'm sorry.” Beck apologized again. 

“You don't have to explain yourself.” Jade snapped. 

“I want to.” Beck sharply replied. 

Jade turned back to him with a frown. “This is a really bad time to have a heart-to-heart.” 

“It never is for you,” Beck complained. “I'm done pretending we don't have anything between us.” 

“There isn't anything to pretend about,” Jade grumbled. “We're over and there is nothing between us.”

“You know it hasn't been a clean break up since the day you decided to end our relationship. You still come back here when you're upset and we always end up...” Beck pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. “It's really difficult to be just friends with you, you know that? You always give me these mixed signals and when you're drunk it's even worse.” Beck ran a hand through his thick locks. “I'm tired of it. I need to know where we stand, Jade.” Beck pleaded. “It's hard for me to move on if we keep going back to how we used to be when we were dating.” Beck took a step closer. “Tell me what's going on?” 

Jade let out a bitter laugh. They have been playing this game for months. Beck had always been understanding and gave her the space she needed, but he had always ended their encounters by making Jade feel as if she should be honest with him and make their relationship clear. 

And as always, Jade had insisted on there being nothing to talk about and it made her feel guilty. She's had enough guilt in the last five years. Jade didn't need another responsibility on her hands, especially the responsibility of another being. 

“Look, can we not do this? I have to go.” Jade complained. 

“I'm still in love with you,” Beck stated. “, and I will always care about you. I will always be there for you.” His eyes traveled down her left arm and settled on the black thread bracelet wrapped around Jade's slender wrist. Beck's right hand reached across the bracelet and picked up a brown bead between his thumb and forefinger. “I can learn to be friends with you if you let me.” 

Jade flinched, yanking her arm free of Beck's grip. “Right, and friends occasionally fuck once in a while.” She laughed. 

Beck let out another heavy sigh. “I know what we have is a little complicated, right now, but I'm willing to move on if you are. I would do anything for you and if you want there to no longer be a us then I will respect it.” He clarified. “I'm not asking for a relationship or a romantic commitment anymore. The thing is, do you think you can deal with that?” Beck's hand wrapped around Jade's wrist. “I just want you to know that you don't need to shut anyone out. You don't have to be so tough on yourself either. What happened to you and -” 

“I didn't ask for your insight!” Jade yelled. 

Beck glanced down toward the floor and put a hand up in defeat. “All I'm trying to say is, when will you move on? When will you move on about there no longer being an us and more importantly when will you forgive yourself? It's been five years and we need you here Jade with your head clear and your past left behind. That's something you should think about.” 

Beck waved at Jade before retrieving to his room. Jade rushed out of his apartment. If Beck wasn't trying to ask about their relationship he was trying to fix Jade. 

It always made her mad, but it never had to do with what he said. Jade was a lot more angry at how rational and logical he was. Beck was laid back and calm, but he was intuitive and in the five years of their partnership he had been the only one trying to reach her. He didn't care how short-tempered Jade was and if she were irrational he had made sure to keep everything in perspective for her. 

Beck had always made the truth clear and that was what Jade didn't want to face. Much how Jade never wanted to acknowledge Beck was in love with her. Beck had made that clear several month into their physical relationship and he didn't complain why Jade had told him she wasn't looking for anything serious. He never questioned her and that was another thing that bothered Jade.

He was so understanding and caring. The ideal man other women wanted, but Jade never understood why she didn't desire him. At least, not on an emotional level. 

Jade entered the elevator and pressed the ground floor level just as the doors closed. She leaned against the railing and fished out her cell phone from her bag. She had received three text messages from Cat and two missed calls, also from Cat. 

Jade opened her contacts list but debated if she should call Cat-back or text her. It was three am. The cat would already be asleep. Jade put her phone away. The elevator doors opened and she made her way to the apartment building foyer. 

***

Cat peeked over the couch as Jade stumbled her way into their shared apartment. Rubbing her eyes, Cat watched Jade try to remain her balance on one foot as she attempted to remove her heels. She slammed into the wall several times, but after a few failed attempts the shoes were taken off and carelessly thrown to the floor in a loud thump. Cat squinted her eyes that were nearly blinded by the hallway light. 

Jade didn't notice the pair of soft brown eyes watching her until she made her way into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and pulled out a can of beer. Guilty eyes gazed down at the beer before Jade put it down. 

“You were drinking again?” Cat asked. 

“Cat, you're still up?” Jade questioned, making her way through the living room. 

Cat stifled a yawn before getting to her feet. Jade placed her bag on the floor and joined Cat on the couch. Cat sat back down and scooted closer to Jade, leaning against her. Jade rubbed her eyes, hoping to chase away the effects of alcohol, but she could still feel the buzz in the back of her head, less potent this time. 

Jade watched Cat's eyes start to droop just as her head rested on Jade's shoulder. Jade was never used to affection despite knowing Cat for several years now. It had taken Jade two years before she accepted Cat's form of affection, but Jade had never initiated them. She let Cat handle that. 

“You were waiting for me?” Jade noticed.

“Mhm,” Cat mumbled. 

Jade let out a heavy sigh. She knew she shouldn't drink. It made things between Beck and her much more complicated, nearly got them into bed again, and left Cat alone when she needed something stable in her life right now. She had a responsibility. 

“Geez,” Jade mumbled. 

“It's okay,” Cat whispered. “I'm not mad. I'm glad you came back.” 

Jade felt the haze of the beer begin to wash away. The burn-in her face settling down to a cool tingle and her body felt more in control. The guilt had remained. 

She doubted Cat knew her situation, but she would often not let on how much she knew about everyone. Jade couldn't ignore the possibility that she really could understand her current issue. It wasn't exactly a secret that she a dozen problems. It was something Jade made clear during the start of their friendship.

“You couldn't sleep again?” Jade questioned, pushing aside the beginning of her inner-turmoil. She felt Cat's cheek rub against her shoulder as she nodded. 

The cat sat up and placed her hand around Jade's wrist. It took every fiber in Jade's being to not flinch. Beck knew she wasn't comfortable with close contact unless it was for sex, but Cat never knew any better. 

She often forgot and being touchy was a common practice that was difficult to break. The hugs were apart of who Cat was. She was much too sensitive to handle being scolded and Jade didn't want to deal with her crying. It was a lot easier to keep her happy. 

“I got scared,” Cat admitted. 

“Did you have another nightmare?” Jade replied. 

“Yeah.” Cat thoughtfully brushed a finger along her bottom lip. “I don't want to talk about it this time.” The cat let out another yawn. 

“Let's just go to bed then.” Jade offered. She never pushed Cat to do what she didn't want to, but there were some things she rather Cat talk about to make the weight of her sadness less. 

They've talked about returning back to their homeland. Jade hadn't been very convincing. It would have been easier to go back to the academy and receive treatment. Cat had made a lot of improvement in the last five years, but Cat wanted to stick with Jade. She can be just as equally stubborn. So the two of them rented an apartment together and lived here since. 

“You promise you won't leave?” Cat begged.

“Yeah.” Jade agreed. 

“Will you stay in my room?” Cat requested. “Only until I fall asleep, please?” 

“Fine.”

Jade pulled her off the couch and dragged Cat toward her room. They made their way to Cat's bedroom in comfortable silence. Cat crawled her way under the covers and Jade laid down on the edge. She stared up to the ceiling, listening to Cat give out a content sigh when she settled down. 

“Hey, Jade,” Cat called. “Where did you get that bracelet?” 

Jade brought her left arm up to her chest and examined the accessory. Cat wiggled her way over to get a better look. Jade side-glanced at Cat then focused back to the bracelet. 

“It was a gift,” Jade answered. “And no, you didn't give it to me.”

“Oh,” Cat whispered, fixated on the trinket. “It's pretty.” She rolled on to the other side of the bed satisfied with her answer. 

Jade rubbed her finger over one of the bracelet's beads in a scowl. There were things Jade didn't want to talk about either. 

***

Tori woke up covered in sweat. She hastily examined her surroundings again. Realizing that she had been ripped from her sleep by another nightmare, the drumming heartbeat in her ears steadily began to drop.

It took her a minute to piece together that she was still in the abandoned warehouse instead of in the center of the pits of a roasting fire, burning into a slow death of agony. Tori pushed herself up, propped against the wall and took three mouths full of air. 

She figured after the first night the nightmares would go away, but a year into her vagabond lifestyle she's found no comfort or immunity to such vivid and tense dreams. They stopped occurring daily, but every five days or so she would find herself startled from her sleep soaked in sweat and the intensity of each dream was the same. 

Gingerly, a hand swiped across her damp forehead and ran her fingers through the back of her head. A small build-up of sweat pooled around the nape of her neck. A sharp bang below her ripped Tori of her thoughts. She took a hold of her backpack and slung a strap over her shoulder. 

“I'm tellin' ya man there isn't anyone in there! Let's just leave. It's a waste of time.” A man below her yelled. 

Tori carefully crawled to the window. She couldn't see anyone outside. They were already on their way inside. The banging increased in volume and Tori targeted that it came from the wall across from her. 

The intruders pushed through the door, noisily clomping their boots as they walked. Tori laid flat to the ground face-first, watching the two men stroll their way through. A kick of adrenaline rushed to Tori's head.

“I know I saw someone walk in here. Will you just give me a second?!” A bulkier guy demanded, walking along with a stack of empty rack pallets. 

Tori gulped. Hastily, she gathered her blanket and stuffed it into her backpack. The two thugs must have been watching her. She frowned. 

Tori was usually good at noticing she was being followed and would have found ways to lose her followers. How these two men could track her down without Tori noticing was beyond her. The anger to her mistake was short-lived. She needed to find a way out. 

Tori examined the second floor. She could go out the way she came. The two thugs wouldn't be able to climb up the window and she would have an advantage being a floor higher to reach it, but climbing off the railing would mean she could sprain her ankle or break it if she missed her mark. 

Tori slipped her arm through the second sling of her backpack and tip-toed toward the far right of the railing. That window was her best escape. It would buy her time to run and hide before they could catch up. She kept her eye on the two men below as they walked through the warehouse. 

“Hey anyone here?!” The Bulky man called. “Come on, you have to be around here somewhere.” 

Tori climbed over the railing, pressing her back against it with just three inches of her heels on the ledge. The drop to the window looked lower than she expected. Her hands clamped around the railing in a death grip. She watched the second thug walk underneath her then left her view altogether. Tori held her breath and grit her teeth, preparing for the drop. 

“Don't think I'm stupid! I can smell you, girly.” 

Tori's heart dropped to her feet. In a fit of panic, she leaped over to the window and grunted as her chest smacked against the wall and her arms hooked around the ledge. She missed the window entirely and was left with her feet dangling a foot above the ground. 

“Gotcha!”

Tori screamed as she was grabbed by the foot and yanked down. Wildly, she flared her legs to get loose and use her arms to pull herself up. The hand locked around her ankle tightened and her only loose leg was caught in a similar vice-grip ending her struggle. She heard one of the thugs laugh as she screamed again. 

“Hey man, I got her!” The slimmer thug called. 

Tori yelped as she was pulled downward and lost her grip on the window. An explosion of white and gold blinded her as she smacked on the ground. She barely heard the scuffling of boots headed her way as the second thug joined her. 

Weakly, she flexed her legs and arms to see if they were broken but had trouble getting her legs to cooperate once she found they weren't broken or sprained. Tori's head throbbed. 

“Well, now, what's the rush sweetheart? You don't gotta be shy.” The bulky thug cooed. 

Tori blinked away the last of the golden stars and noticed that the man standing above her was short in height but wide and had thicker biceps than Tori would ever have and he was bald. The guy behind him who she assumed was his lackey was tall but thin with greasy skin. 

The bald man standing above her placed a meaty hand against her chest, flattening her to the ground again. The sheer weight of his oversized hand that Tori was sure was the size of her entire head felt like a cinder block against her frail sternum. 

Wrapping a hand around her assailant, Tori tried to lift the hand up. She heard a hearty chuckle at her failed attempt and increased the pressure on her chest. Tori glared at her attacker. 

“Let – go of me!” She demands. 

“Or what?” He teased. 

Tori left hand reached up, but his other hand took a hold of her wrist and pinned it to the ground. She hearts another gruff laugh. 

“You aren't even worth a challenge. This is going to be too easy.” He laughed. 

“Come on Vince enough playing around. I'm hungry!” The slim thug whined. 

Vince looked over his shoulder then back at Tori. He sighed. “Quit your bitching. I wanted this to be at least somewhat entertaining. She's as weak as a baby. I'm almost disappointed.” 

Tori watched Vince's face shift forward into a bumpy ridge around his eyebrows and his eyes glowed an orange shade with black dot-sized pupils. His mouth pulled back into a smile to reveal a set of sharp pointed fangs. Vince let out a snarl and pulled Tori up into a sitting position by her shirt. Tori let out a scream and pulled at his hand gripping her shirt. 

“Go ahead!” He encouraged. “I like it when you struggle.” 

“W-What are you?!” Tori shouted. 

Vince opened his mouth and hissed as he lowered his mouth toward Tori's neck. A rush of hot air and foul-smelling breath brushed against Tori's face. The smell alone was a gag that made it impossible to scream. 

Tori's right hand pushed against Vince's chest to try and keep him back. Her left hand grabbed onto Vince's forearm, bracing herself as he got closer. Tori barely missed the pinch of heat that jabbed at her palms. She gulped. 

Vince let out a scream and a wave of intense heat licked at Tori's face. She opened her eyes to see Vince's body in flames. She stared at him, terrified. 

“You stupid bitch!” Vince shouted, through his agony. “I'll kill you. I'm gonna rip you to shreds!” 

Tori cringed as he brought his face closer and the heat from the fire around Vince's face had started to burn her. Tori let out a sharp yell and Vince froze. She watched Vince slowly slump back. That's when she noticed a hole in the center of Vince's chest the size of a softball and the edges of his skin and T-shirt charred. 

The other side of the wall can be seen through the gaping hole. It was covered with a similar circular-shaped burn mark. Tori gasped. Vince hit the ground before bursting into ash and Tori scattered to her feet. She noticed the second guy a few steps away from her just as shocked. 

“N-No way!” He whispered. “You're – S-Stay away from me!” 

Tori jumped to her feet and ran out of the warehouse. She hit the floor when she noticed a sharp pain on her left arm and realized that her jacket sleeve was on fire. The flame had eaten through her jacket and sweater. Tori put her arm in the dirt and rubbed the fire out until the heat died down. Once the fire was gone, she inspected the damage.

The left side of her arm from her wrist to her elbow was badly burned and decorated in blisters. Tori wiped away tears she hadn't noticed and sat on the ground. The distinct smell of burning flesh still fresh in her mind. It made her stomach turn. 

Biting down her bottom lip, Tori tried to hold back the urge to vomit. She doubts anyone heard her and nor did anyone see her or those two things enter the warehouse either. The body had crumbled to ash, so that meant there was nobody, but it wouldn't explain the smell of smoke and charred flesh. 

Tori was sure the thug that got away wouldn't tell anyone. She was willing to bet he wasn't even human either, but then where did that leave her? He was a lot more terrified of Tori than she was of him. 

Tori wiped away another set of tears and stood back up. She needed to find shelter for the remainder of the night. She would find medical supplies first thing in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

“What!?”

“I see you made it home just fine.” Beck's nonchalant voice responded.

Groaning, Jade rolled on to her stomach and lifted her head off her pillow to glance at her clock. She let out another groan and buried her head back into her pillow. She only managed to get three hours of peaceful sleep. 

Five years since the assemble of her team, Jade still did not get used to how little she had spent her days sleeping. The few days she's gotten off never lasted long, during some time of the day they were interrupted and later spent working because another inefficient rookie team weren't cut out to please the bosses. Most of the urgent or server cases were brought to her attention in order to neutralizer threats and put The Council at ease. 

The last thing anyone or she needed were antsy and enraged council men at her throat. She's kept them calm enough for the past five years, but that didn't mean they would stop and disrupt her sleep when even the slightest uncomfortable news made it to their desk. Half the things The Council worried about was in Jade's view, small and harmless fears that posed no great threat, but someone had to worry. 

Jade's job was just to keep the system in perfect harmony and put rule breakers back in place. She rather keep it that way. Standard protocol was to investigate all cases, no matter how small.

“You better have a good reason for calling me.” Jade warned. 

“I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but we have a new case.” Beck announced. “I told Robbie and Andre to be at your place in an hour.” 

“Why don't you handle this one?” Jade compromised. 

“I think you want to take this.” Beck explained. “An old warehouse security staff reported property damage from a fire he thought a few teens started.” 

Jade rolled on to her back and pulled the sheets back. The case sounded like what they usually didn't take on. She's seen her fair share of trouble makers and she never liked them. They gave too much attitude and didn't know how to shut up. Jade never had much patience for idiots that were all talk and worried about street cred. 

“We don't deal in teen crime.” Jade clarified. 

“I'm aware.” Beck rebutted. “The thing is, only one wall of the warehouse was on fire. The burn was the size of a cantaloupe and five feet from it was a pile of ash.” Beck continued. “The staff worker was sure he smelled burned flesh.” 

Jade sat up against her headboard, brushing away the thick clouds of sleep, her curiosity piqued. The case was now classified unusual. 

Searching through her brain for general knowledge, Jade tried to remember if she knew anything strange enough to turn a person to ash. A gut-feeling buzzed in the center of Jade's stomach laced with disappointment. She was going to work another twenty-four hour shift with little sleep again. 

“Is it one of us?” Jade suggested. 

“That's my guess, but if that's true we don't have anyone with that magnitude of power in our district.” 

The case was far too strange to let local police deal with. That meant it was too dangerous to allow them to investigate too, not that Jade wasn't at risk either. She was just more aware of the consequences. 

“I'll be ready in an hour. You're bringing breakfast.” Jade agreed. 

“I'll see you then.” 

“And Beck,” Jade called. 

“Yes?” He sighed. 

“I like my coffee black with two sugars.” Jade informed before hanging up. 

  
  
  
  


Tori made a sharp turn around the nearest apartment building and climbed up on a closed dumpster before pulling down the fire escape ladder. Quickly, she climbed up and pulled it back up before continuing her climb to the roof of the apartment complex. Once clear from view below, Tori sat down against the railing of the roof. 

She let out an exhausted exhale before opening her backpack. She counted over her supplies before reaching to the bottom of her backpack. A handful of band-aids and gauze was put down in front of her. Then a bottle of peroxide and antiseptic cream. Tori unscrewed the cap to her water bottle and took a sip. 

She managed to get what she needed to tend to her wound, but she doubt she had enough gauze to last a week. The water bottle was closed and stored away again. Tori took off her jacket and rolled up the sleeve of her sweater. 

The edges of her wound looked redder and it felt much more tender and sore than last night. The bleeding had stopped. 

Tori took the peroxide and steadily poured it over the wound. She cringed and locked her jaw shut to stop from screaming. The pain had engulfed her entire arm. 

Tori tried to pour as much as she could handle on the wound then eventually closed it again and examined the burn once more. Inside of the gaping hole was a foam of white bubbles as the peroxide sterilized her wound. She waited for the fizzing to stop before she smeared a glob of cream all over it.

The pain that shot through her arm had startled to settle down until her arm felt numb. Tori opened a pack of gauze and carefully wrapped it around her forearm. She pulled the sleeve of her sweater back down when she was done and stuffed her jacket into her backpack. 

With the urgent need of medical supplies and water fulfilled Tori felt more at ease. The risk of infection and dehydration no longer a threat. Tori looked back to her arm. 

She just had no idea how she was going to get new clothes. What she had is what she packed before leaving and it wasn't much to begin with. Tori was careful to make her clothes last and had not anticipated the flames to backfire on her. Taking another sip of water, Tori let out a sigh. What she had would have to do for now. 

  
  
  
  


Jade carefully sipped her coffee as she watched the rest of her team enter. Cat had been the only one to greet them in her own cheery and noisy way. Jade couldn't understand how she was so happy in the morning while Jade was barely functioning until she had her coffee. 

“Hey Cat.” Beck greeted, raising a brow at Jade when he entered the kitchen. “I brought doughnuts.” 

Cat gave Robbie a quick hug before running over to the mention of doughnuts. Beck smiled at her, as she enthusiastically looked over the box of pastries. Jade couldn't stop herself from shaking her head to her overly-excited nature.

“With sprinkles?!” Cat jeered. 

Beck's smile widen. “And pink frosting.” He added. 

“Yay!” Cat cheered, picking up a doughnut and bounced her way across the house to the living room.

Beck straightened the tie to his navy blue uniform after Cat hugged him. Robbie and Andre picked up a doughnut of their own before returning back to the couch. Jade gazed at Beck through the top of her cup. 

“And for you,” Beck announced, dropping a stack of files on the counter. Jade put her cup down and opened the first file. “It's straight from official police records. What? No thank you?” Jade glared at him. Beck shrugged, bringing his attention back to the files. “I couldn't find the one responsible for the attack. I'm pretty sure this was the work of an Elemental.” 

Jade flipped through the pages and pulled out the six photographs. She carefully examined the first two pictures of the burn mark then the ones containing the pile of ash. “I can't argue with that.” She confirmed. “We'll have to go through the records of all local Elementals in the last ten years just to be sure. Was the victim human?” 

“It was hard to smell anything out of the ordinary besides the smell of cooked skin. There were no witnesses either. That means our best option is to catch who did this to determine if this was a human kill or one of our own.” Beck replied, picking up a chocolate covered doughnut. 

Jade carefully examined the set of photos one last time. “This is such a sloppy kill.” She noted. 

“I agree.” Beck nodded, speaking through a mouth full of doughnut. He picked up a napkin and wiped the remains of the crumbs off his face. “Elementals are a lot smarter in covering their tracks.” 

Jade put the photos back into the folder and closed it. She pulled out the second folder and looked inside. She picked up her coffee and took a long sip. Beck finished the last of his doughnut in three bites and cleaned his hands. His right hand resting an inch above the holster of his gun. 

“Do you think you can get us in that warehouse?” Jade questioned. 

“It's already closed it off. When I left the scene a clean up crew was outside.” Beck answered. 

Jade sighed. “That doesn't make our search any easier.” She took another gulp of her coffee. “So we're looking for an unidentified Elemental with a liking for fire.” 

Beck bunched up his napkin. “That doesn't give us much to work with.”

“Robbie. Andre.” Jade called. The two teammates walked over. “We're going to do a perimeter check. The Elemental could still be here. I don't want it leaving my district. Once we've cleared that up I'll work my way toward the center of the city.” 

“No problem. I'll take the south region.” Andre volunteered. 

“Robbie will go west, Beck east, and I'll take care of the north region.” Jade instructed. “I want everyone back to their stations when we're done. Keep your eyes open. We will all meet back at ten pm sharp at Johnny's Diner to report.” 

The group crowding the counter broke apart and Jade collected the files into one neat pile. She handed them to Beck who placed them back into his messenger bag before heading toward the door. Andre and Robbie were already out in the hall. 

“What about me?” Cat asked, watching Jade make her way behind Beck. She turned back to Cat with a less stern expression.

“Cat, I think it's best you sit this one out.” 

Cat frowned. “But, I'm apart of the team too. I'm strong enough now!”

Jade nodded. “I know Cat, but right now we have enough manpower. It's just a quick perimeter check. You can meet us at the diner at ten.”

“Okay.” Cat mumbled. 

“I'll see you later Cat.” Jade called, on her way out the door. 

She met up with Beck around the corner. Walking quietly with Beck on her right, Jade felt a sharp throb shot through her entire arm like wild fire. Jade cringed and closed her hand into a fist several times before examining her palm. 

She flipped her hand over. A thick black vein streaked to the surface of her pale skin. Jade watched more lines of black appear, bringing another ache of pain with it. She watched the vein in the center of her forearm faintly pulsate. 

“How's your arm?” Beck calmly asked, making his presence known again. 

Jade closed her hand into a tight fist before resting her arm back at her side away from Beck's sight. She gave him the same emotionless expression. 

“It's been better.” Jade honestly responded. 

“Maybe you should go back to -” The elevator doors opened and Jade made a quick escape out into the foyer. Beck dropped his heavy shoulders and exited the elevator. 

  
  
  
  


Glaring at the two scientist across from his desk, Alan placed a pair of gloved-hands folded on to his oak wood desk. The two workers glanced at one another before back at him in unpleasant silence. Alan's took careful watch of their fearful faces and grinned. The scientist to the right of him gulped. 

“I want a status report on subject 85.” Alan demanded.

“Results were, inconclusive, s-sir.” The older scientist on the left replied. 

Alan's face darkened. “You mean to tell me that the three months spent on this project has no results?” 

“I – We...” 

“Mr. Wright.” Alan's secretary's voice interrupted, through the intercom. 

“I thought I told you I'm in a meeting and don't want any disruptions.” Alan sneered. 

“I understand, sir. One of your staff insisted I reach you. He says it's important. He says one of your men was killed.” 

Alan glanced back to his quivering scientist. His hand left the intercom and waved his workers out of his office. Instantly, on shaky legs, they jumped to their feet and rushed out the office. Alan rose from his seat in a more calming manner. He walked his way to his closet and looked over his appearance in the mirror hung on the door of the closet. 

He ran a gloved-hand through his short slicked-back blond hair several times. Grinning as he looked over his defined cheek bones, squared and muscular jawline, with pride. His face smile dying as he looked over his eyes. He ran a finger over the bridge of his eyebrow to his good eye and glided to the scar underneath his left eye. 

Alan watched the muscles in his cheek flinch. The scar stretched from below his left eye up to his eyebrow. His entire eye rendered useless for sight that he had kept it closed, but had not wanted to cover the battle scar. The scar not just an eyesore to some, but a mark of remembrance of the one who had been brave enough and smart enough to escape the compounds of his secret laboratory. 

It had been his only mistake. Alan's own ignorance and underestimation that had been his downfall. The scar a permanent reminder to his flaw and he hated it. The memory the mark attached to him and the permanent damage it had done to his once perfect and flawless face. 

Alan closed the closet and marched his way back to his desk. “Send him in.” 

Alan stood beside his desk, watching the door to his office. As much as he was angry to be disrupted from his meeting, he had been just as curious. The death of a worker wasn't his concern, those that died were deemed inefficient. It was the person that got away that concerned him.

Alan didn't do well with threats and the last thing he needed was another competition while several on-going projects were near completion. The door of his office opened and he watched with malice as the brainless street rat stumbled into his office. Alan's jaw clenched. 

“Speak fast or I will tear you apart with my bare hands.” Alan calmly spoke, his icy voice causing his lackey to flinch. 

He gulped back his fear and ran a hand through his oily hair before starting. Alan cringed. He couldn't understand how some of the creatures on this earth lived, not a care in the world about their appearance or proper hygiene. 

Alan couldn't expect much from a lower-being. They were too caught up in their desire for food and senseless destruction. The last thing they worried about were their looks. They were a bunch of idiots that couldn't tell day from night. 

“Are you going to stand there, or are you going to tell me why you so rudely interrupted my meeting, Derrick?!” Alan demanded, his patience thinning. 

“Y-Yeah, sure boss!” Derrick stuttered. “We were attacked! Last night, Vince and I went to feed.” Derrick took a deep breath, scratching the back of his head with his eyes closed, desperately trying to remember. He opened his eyes and snapped his finger as his memory became more clear. “This chick! She wasn't no ordinary human Boss. She killed Vince with her own hands, set him right on fire!” 

Alan took a step closer to Derrick. He watched Derrick's face dropped. His eyes fidget between looking at Alan's scarred eye and his only good one that peered down on Derrick with disgust. Alan ran a hand through perfectly soft and luscious hair. 

“You're telling me, some little girl killed one of my men, and got away with it?!” Alan shouted. Derrick nodded, too scared to speak. “And you didn't try to stop her or at least bring her to me?!” 

Derrick's mouth mimicked the action of a fish out of water, gasping for air as he tried to find his voice to speak again. A small scratchy yelp came out. He nodded again. Alan watched Derrick's arms shake and his legs wobble. 

“S-She was really strong Boss!” Derrick shouted, finding his voice again. “I have never seen one so young this strong.” 

Alan scoffed. “The only reason why you didn't bring her back was because you were scared. You're a pathetic excuse of a vampire!” Alan scolded. “I want you to find this girl and bring her back to me. I don't care how you do it, but I want her here and alive!” 

“Y-Yes, Boss!” Derrick whimpered, scampering out of Alan's study hall. 

“Idiot.” Alan sighed. 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Beck raked a hand through his hair. He was usually the calmer one of the group, but news about an unidentified Elemental kept him on edge. As city police, it was his job to keep the streets clean and criminals locked away all while remaining a cool head. An unknown Elemental should be no different. He has worked on cases where murders were unknown, but later caught.

He's done what he could with this case. Beck has read through the old databases of the last ten years and even from the last twenty years once information of a recent alive Elemental was nowhere to be seen on his first search. But his gut-feeling continued to nag at him. It was confirmed the attack was that of an Elemental, but no recent ones living within his district were found.

Jade had no luck either, searching the city on foot and asking all her sources for any leads. The chase was at a stand-still. The only way of finding another hot trail is if someone were to die again, but it was hard enough as it was to cover up a fire that only would burn its victims into ash while everything around it remained unharmed.

It was a stretch for Beck to get his colleagues to accept the fire was the result of spontaneous combustion when they were convinced the fire wasn't man-made. The first idea of the pile of ash being just a pile of some bonfire gone wrong was instantly denied. The smell of charred skin was distinct, even for Beck.

The passenger seat door next to him opened and Beck looked over to see Andre make his way inside. He gazed to his rear-view mirror to see Robbie opening the back door. Beck noticed Andre's eyes fixed on him.

“You alright man?” Andre asked, clicking on his seat-belt.

“Yeah, I'm cool.” Beck replied, checking back on Robbie who had finished putting on a seat-belt of his own. “I'm exhausted trying to close this case.”

“It's a tough one.” Andre admitted.

“Did Jade have better luck?” Robbie curiously questioned.

“She's left just as empty-handed as we are and it has her a little restless.” Beck answered. “We don't even have much of a profile.” Beck ruffled his hand through his hair. “I have to say though, this is one smart Elemental. They're doing a good job of laying low.”

“Do you think it's a group of them working together?” Andre suggested.

“With what motive?” Beck replied. “All I know is that there is something different about this Elemental.”

Robbie lunged forward, startled. “How can you be so sure?”

Beck shrugged and started his car. “Call it intuition.” He pulled the car into the road, his head still buzzing with possibilities, trying to piece together what he could work with.

That gut-feeling hit him again with a much stronger force.

Tori leaned flat against the side of a diner, carefully watching the people that left. She finished the last of her cookies this afternoon and was down to one bag of chips and half a bottle of water. The junk food was no longer able to keep her full.

She needed something heavier and packed with better vitamins. Digging through the garbage was a gamble for her to come across something fresh, but she couldn't go into a diner and order food then leave. This one was crowded and had a cop inside.

Tori placed a hand over her grumbling stomach and pulled the hood of her sweater over her head. She had a plan. She wasn't sure if it would work or how she would go about it, but she needed to eat.

At this moment, any plan was worth trying if she didn't want to starve to death. Carefully, Tori watched the crowd of people that entered and left the diner just as equally hungry as she was, or just as full as she was not.

A car pulled up to the diner and Tori hid back into the alley of the diner. A group of three men came out, the nerdy looking one with glasses, complaining as they walked toward the diner.

“Where's Jade? She said she'll meet us here.” He whined.

“She went to pick up Cat.”

“Relax, Robbie. She'll be here soon. Jade doesn't live that far.” The guy with dread-locks spoke.

“I can't help it. I'm starving! All I ate were those doughnuts Beck bought.” Robbie explained. “Can we just go inside and wait for her?”

Andre sighed and looked back to Beck with a shrug. “We might as well go inside. He's not gonna stop.”

“Let's go.” Beck allowed, leading his two friends toward the diner.

Just as they reached the door, a group of six people made their way out the door and down the stairs. Tori sneaked her way over to the crowd and reached her hand inside the nearest jacket. Her hands clamped down onto the wallet and yanked it out before anyone could notice.

With her arm successfully retracted from the pocket, the crowd began to break apart. In the clearing of the thinning crowd, Tori made contact with a pair of light brown eyes, framed by thick black hair. She gulped and dashed into the alley.

“Beck?” Andre interrupted, noticing he had fallen behind. “What's wrong?”

Beck quizzically looked back at Andre and Robbie before digging into his jacket. “What?” He whispered, looking back in the direction Tori ran. “S-She stole my wallet!”

“Who did?” Robbie asked.

“Hurry before she gets away!” Beck yelled, running into the alleyway.

“I'll go. Robbie stay here and wait for Jade.” Andre answered, following after Beck.

He spotted Beck at the end of the alleyway and picked up his pace to catch up before he lost him from sight completely. When Andre had reached the end of the alleyway, Beck was already across the street, hot on Tori's trail. Andre looked both ways before running into the street with flailing arms in the air. Beck was a lot faster than Andre, always a foot ahead of him when he got close.

Beck ran blindly into the street again and was nearly ran over by a taxi. He put his hands over the hood of the car and leaped over it. The taxi driver beeped the horn several times before sticking his head out the window screaming and cursing. Andre sprinted in front of it before the taxi resumed driving, but when he reached the other sidewalk Beck was gone. He came to a halt at the end of the sidewalk.

“Beck?!” Andre shouted. “Damn it.”

“Stop running!” Beck yelled, zipping through a crowd of people Tori lead him through. “I just want to talk!”

He watched Tori push through one of the apartment complex doors. Beck entered the stairwell, quickly running up to the six floor. He lost sight of Tori in the hall.

Taking several deep breaths, Beck pushed back his hair and closed his eyes, easing the thumping in his chest. He took one deep inhale through his nose and slowly released it. He opened his eyes and sprinted down the hallway and pushed open a fire escape door that lead him to the roof. Beck pushed himself forward, meeting Tori on the other end and tackled her to the ground.

She screamed once she hit the floor and began kicking and pushing her arms into his chest. His body felt like one solid mass of muscle that wouldn't falter no matter how hard Tori kicked. Beck took a hold of her arms to cease her thrashing.

“Calm down!” Beck urged. “I'm not gonna hurt you.” His hand gripped around gauze and the other held on to Tori's sweater. In an instant a flare of fire covered his right sleeve and a sharp pain shot onto the back of his hand. “Whoa!”

He released Tori, ripping the gauze off with him. Tori kicked him in the face, sending him to the ground in a daze, leaving her enough time to crawl back to her feet. She ran to the other end of the roof and jumped across to the adjacent roof before she climbed down the fire escape and down the street.

Beck let out a low growl, as he ripped his jacket off and smacked it against the roof to put the fire out. With the fire eventually down, he looked over his arm decorated in blisters while his other hand was left with a minor burn.

Over the surprise of the wound, Beck noticed the gauze he dropped in front of him and picked it up. He examined it and noticed a splotch of blood on the other side of it. He fished out his cellphone from his jeans, listening to it ring before it was picked up on the second ring.

“I think we found who we are looking for.” He announced.

Tori leaned against a pick-up truck out of breath. She dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out a worn out leather wallet. She looked inside and counted the cash before putting it away. Tori counted out fifty dollars, one bank card, and a credit card. The cards would be canceled before she can buy anything of use, but the cash would be good for a day or two.

Tori lifted up her arm to see her wound exposed. She pulled the sleeve to her sweater down and let out another sigh. She used the last of her gauze. It was too late for any local store to be open. A can fluttered across the parking lot and bounced off Tori's sneaker. She looked up in the direction the can came from.

She staggered as Derrick and five other men made their way over to the pick-up truck.

“I got someone who is dying to meet you.” Derrick grinned.

“This is definitely the work of an Elemental.” Jade assured, examining Beck's hand. “You were just a second away from becoming a human BBQ.”

Beck frowned. “That isn't very comforting.” Jade raised a brow in amusement. He looked up at Jade, hopeful. “Can you fix it?”

Jade released Beck's hand. “Don't be such a baby.”

She put a hand over both his wounds. Beck watched Jade's hand glow in blue light then flicker. A warm sensation surrounded his hand, shivering up his arm and to his spine. Beck took a sharp intake of breath as the warmth spread and the flickering stopped.

“All done.”

Beck lifted up his hand, the skin smooth and pain free again as if the wound were never there. He let out a sigh of relief. Jade stood back up, arms crossed in annoyance, examining the roof top.

She gave Beck one last scowl and walked over to the edge, over looking the city. Beck got to his feet and picked up his jacket. He inspected the damage to see a hole in the jacket sleeve, but everything else was left unburned.

He strolled to the center of the roof. He turned around and noticed Cat's worried expression fixed on him.

“I'm okay Cat.” He assured. Her brows knitted to the center of her forehead into a frown. “Really, I'm fine. Jade healed me, see?” Beck lifted up his hand toward Cat. She ran a finger over his hand.

“It's gone.” She gasped.

“Don't worry, okay? I can take care of myself.” Beck promised. He put a hand onto Cat's back, steadily leading her to Jade.

Andre and Robbie jogged over to regroup. Jade looked over to her teammates.

“We're at a dead end.” Jade stated.

“I wouldn't be so sure about that.” Beck grinned, pulling out the gauze he salvaged from his pocket. “She was wearing this.”

Jade couldn't stop herself from smiling. “Can you track her?”

“Give me a second.” Beck answered, bringing the gauze to his nose. He took several deep breathes through his nose. The faint smell of blood causing his nose to flare. Beck slowly pulled the gauze from his nose, his eyes shifted to a yellow glimmer. “I got it.”


	4. Chapter 4

“You're in a lot of trouble, girl.” Derrick sneered. Tori gulped.

“W-What do you want?” Tori whimpered.

Derrick took a step closer. “The boss wants to see you.” He glared back at his five henchmen. “Get her.”

Tori screamed and ran. The five men let out a hiss before they ran after her with abnormal speed. The first guy cut in front of her, blocking her exit off. Another guy closed in on her left and before she could make another sprint she was boxed in, stuck in the center of five fanged men. Derrick pushed through the middle of his lackeys.

“This is too easy.” Derrick sighed.

“Step away from the girl.”

Derrick turned around. He carefully walked his way over to the group a few feet away from him. Jade stepped forward, raising a brow, challenging Derrick. She noticed his right hand clench into a fist. She snickered. He was stupid enough to take on another of his own kind.

“Make me.” He threatened.

“Listen shit for brains, if you knew what was best for you, you would let the girl go.” Jade snapped, dragging a hand into her shirt and pulled out an necklace with a small golden and ruby emblem attached to it. “Are you interfering with official council orders?”

Derrick laughed. “Pretty soon your law won't mean anything to us and you'll be begging to work for him.”

Beck rushed forward with a roar. Derrick charged forward, his hands wrapped around Beck's neck. Beck let out a growl, tying one of his hands around the one on his throat and the other clawing at Derrick's shoulder. Putting them into a stalemate, Derrick looked back at Jade.

“I see you brought your dog.” He teased. Derrick looked back to the remaining team. “You know, I think I remember you now. You're the bitch that blinded him. He hasn't forgotten you.”

Jade's body went cold. Her stoic and erect posture weakened. Beck let out another low growl, finding it difficult to breathe. Jade's mask went back up, trying to recover and hope he hadn't seen her tough exterior falter.

“If you think just because you work for that dipshit of a boss that we'll let you kill that girl you got another thing coming.” Jade clarified.

“What makes you think I'm going to kill her?” Derrick resorted. “The boss asked that I bring her back, alive.”

“What would Alan Wright want with an Elemental?” Jade questioned.

“I don't know and I don't give a shit. That bitch killed Vince!” Derrick defended. “If it were up to me I rather have her dead on the spot.”

Jade looked back to Tori, still trapped and motionless between the group of five other vampires. A shine of worry painted on Jade's face. She didn't look strong enough to kill a fly.

“I'm not going to ask again nicely.” Jade warned.

Her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes changed from pale blue to a lime green. Derrick's hand removed from Beck's neck. He hit the ground on his knees coughing and leaped forward, tackling Derrick to his back. The five vampires surrounding Tori charged to their attackers. Jade lifted her hand, freezing the first two vampire on her right in mid-sprint.

“Andre!” Jade groaned. She watched a strip of ice brush passed her face and covered the vampires' bodies up to their necks. “Robbie, get her out of here!”

“I'm on it!” He replied, running passed Jade in a smear of blue and black.

Tori yelped when Robbie stood less than an inch away from her. He smiled at her and waved. “Don't worry we'll get you out of here. We're here to help.” He promised, crouching down and picking Tori up off the floor and into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, still in a daze at how quick he moved. “Hold on tight.”

Tori looked over his shoulder in curiosity, to see Beck jump a foot in the air and landed feet first on to a vampire's chest in a roar. Tori hugged tighter on to Robbie. She closed her eyes as she felt the wind blow through her hair and the blood rush to her head.

She found it difficult to breathe and her head was spinning. A pang of nausea bubbled at the pit of her stomach. Then as quick as the pressure and sickness came, it was gone and Tori was gasping for air.

Robbie carefully set her back to the floor. She looked back at his smiling face before stumbling to her knees. He held on her waist to keep her steady.

“Easy.” He instructed. “Sorry about that, the first time is always rough. Are you okay?”

Tori clutched a hand to her aching head. She opened her mouth to let out a dry yelp. Robbie frowned.

“Can you hear me? Hey, stay awake!” Robbie shouted, just as Tori passed out in his arms. “Awe man!”

Tori awoke to a room covered in pink. She carefully pushed herself up against the headboard to survey the room. The bed was a canopy with a row of plush dolls at the foot of the bed, staring at her and the walls of the room were painted pink with colorful framed-pictures attached. As cross from her, Tori noticed a small red-haired girl staring at her with a smile in place.

“Hello!” She greeted. “My name's Cat.”

Tori made her way to the edge of the bed. Groggily using her hand, she rubbed away the sleep from her eyes and pushed the blanket away from her legs. This wasn't her usual old beat down building. Tori examined herself more closely and noticed that she was in different clothing. A loose pastel colored shirt and shorts with her arm newly bandaged. Her head still hurt, but it was no longer cloudy and the urge to vomit was gone.

Cat frowned. “Is something wrong?” Tori inched closer off the bed.

“Where am I?” Tori whispered, looking over the room again.

“You're in my bedroom.” Cat stated. “They wanted to put you on the couch. It isn't very comfortable.”

“They?”

“Jade, Beck, Robbie, and Andre. They're my friends. They rescued you.” Cat answered, her brows knitting together again into a frown. “Are you sure you're okay?”

A low growl ripped through the second of silence between them. The hunger pain was a lot more stronger than what Tori was used to. Had she been a sleep longer than she expected? The window straight ahead of Tori had the curtains draw shut and she couldn't find a clock in this overly stuffed room full of dolls and plushies that resembled a lot like a child's playroom than a bedroom.

“How long have I been asleep?”

Tori rubbed her shoulder and stretched her arms. She knows she's been out long enough to feel more rested and the aches in her body were gone. The only form of time she's gathered is that when she was out pickpocketing people it was dark and the only estimation she had was it possibility being mid-afternoon.

Thinking about it too much gave Tori a bigger headache, so her guess on time was quickly ditched. Her knew found focus now being on food. She's gone over a day without food.

“Just a day and a half, I think.” Cat nonchalantly replied. “You must be starving. Wait here I'll get you some candy!”

Cat walked over to the door and stepped out into the hallway. “She's awake!”

Tori needed something better than candy. But she figured telling Cat that would upset her for some reason, so she let her run away. Tori sat at the edge of the bed and stretched her legs of any tense muscles. She wiggled her snows, feeling the tension leave her legs.

Staring into the velvet colored rug, Tori watched rest of her memory started to flood in front of her face at once. She remembered those monsters that tried to kill her and those other group of people that were just as strange. They had abilities that she's never seen and they were fighting those monsters.

They wanted to save her. All the color washed from Tori's face. Did that mean they wanted her too and that she was going to meet her doom? She didn't want to stick around to find out or see those freaks again either.

Hastily, Tori dropped to her feet and searched Cat's room for her sneakers. That's when she realized she didn't have her backpack either. The very few essentials she had in that bag now gone along with the rest of her clothes.

This blue pastel shirt didn't suit her. It was too bright. It made it difficult to blend in at night if she were to steal from another store. Tori would need to get a new backpack. At the start of her panic, a knock came to the door just before it opened and the guy she's seen early that had picked her up and made her sick to her stomach stepped through the door.

He put on that same friendly smile. “Thank god! Finally, you're awake.” He sighed. Tori took a step back as he drew near the bed. “Hey, it's okay. My friends and I are here to help. We were the ones that rescued you, remember?”

Tori watched three other people walk in. The only one familiar to Tori was Cat who had a plate in her hands and a slice of cake on top. She was brave enough to walk over with that same warm smile and innocent brown doe-eyes and hold out the plate.

“I forgot I ate all my candy, but I still had some cake left over.” Cat presented it in front of Tori. “It's red velvet cake!”

Tori raised a brow in Cat's direction before accepting the plate. Her smile brightened and she went back to the chair Tori found her sitting on when she woke up. Aside of Cat's relaxed and inviting behavior, the other three visitors kept a more cautious attitude. Tori gulped.

“What's going on?” Tori asked.

“You don't remember anything?” Beck wondered.

“No, I do. I mean, why am I here?” Tori rephrased.

“You were attacked.” Andre informed.

“By a group of Supes.” Robbie grimaced.

“Supes?” Tori repeated.

“A group of Supernatural-Beings with special abilities.” A new voice interrupted. Beck and Andre stepped aside to let the visitor passed.

Tori met with a pair of icy-blue eyes, framed with jet black and blue-streaked hair. The woman stood proud in Cat's room dressed in a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and thick platform boots. She was the only one brave enough to walk up to Tori, trapping her against the wall.

“What are you talking about?” Tori whispered.

A thick brow arched into an amused expression. Jade crossed her arms over her chest, staring Tori down, having the courage to ask a stupid question.

“Lets make this clear, you are in some deep shit and I'm not stupid enough to fall for your act!” Jade clarified. “You better start talking.”

“Uh, Jade, maybe we should do this later?” Beck suggested. “She's been out for almost three days.”

“I've been asleep for three days?!” Tori shouted.

“Almost.” Andre corrected.

Jade glared back to Beck. “That doesn't excuse her for what she's done. These are serious crimes!”

“Jade,” Beck calmly spoke. “Can I have a word with you outside?”

Seeing that she wasn't going to budge, Beck took a hold of her arm and yanked her out the room. Andre shut the door, blocking any sounds to the start of their argument. Tori looked between Andre and Robbie with a quizzical look. Robbie was now awkwardly quiet since the start of Jade's yelling. Andre leaned against the wall, casually watching Tori.

“Um, maybe now is a good time to introduce ourselves?” Robbie offered. “Hi, I'm Robbie. I'm the guy that saved you, right before you passed out.” He nervously grabbed at the edges of his flannel shirt. “I'm really sorry about that. At least you didn't throw up on me like Cat did her first time.”

Cat giggled. “It's true. I threw up everywhere.” Cat's giggling died down, letting the reality of her words catch up to her. “It didn't smell very nice.” She muttered, before going silent again.

Robbie rubbed the back of his neck and walked over to Cat, tucking his hands into his pockets. Tori looked back to Andre who had a much more relaxed expression and a lot more confidence that Robbie lacked. He stood off the wall and nodded.

“What's up. Name's Andre.” He greeted. “And you've met Cat. You got a name?”

“Tori.” She mumbled.

Andre shrugged. “Cool. Listen Tori, don't be too freaked out by Jade. She's a little...rough around the edges, but she ain't that bad. She gets stuff done. Just be sure to stay out of her way and stay on her good side and you'll be alright.”

“Jade doesn't have a good side.” Robbie added.

Andre hummed, thinking over Robbie's words then chuckled. “She really doesn't.”

Tori looked at Andre confused at how easily he accepted Jade's vicious behavior. “Thanks?” She scratched the back of her head still confused. “I have to ask, but what did she mean about special abilities?”

Robbie looked back at her, mouth open in shock. Andre had the same surprised expression, minus the open hanging jaw. Robbie looked back at Andre then to Tori, still speechless. He cleared his throat a few times to gain his voice back.

“You mean, you really don't know?” Robbie asked.

“No.” Tori honestly responded.

“Well, that ain't good.” Andre blurted.

“But then that means you weren't -”

The door opened again and Beck walked back in, Jade nowhere in sight. Tori felt more at ease with her gone and Beck didn't seem like a bad guy. He looked between his teammates.

“I'm calling a group meeting.” Beck declared. “We'll figure out what to do with her from there. Are you hungry?”

“I'm starving!” Tori whined.

“I'll order some take-out.” Andre announced, before walking out the room.

Robbie walked over to Tori carefully. “Are you going to eat that?” He asked, looking down to the piece of cake in Tori's hands.

She sighed and shoved the plate into his chest. Robbie snatched the cake and rushed out. Cat rushed up to Tori and hugged her before running out. She looked back at Beck, having a difficult time covering how nervous she was. Beck smiled.

“Don't worry about it. I'll make sure Jade won't tear you apart.” Beck promised. “I'm Beck by the way.”

“Tori.”

Beck looked to Tori's wrapped arm. “How is the arm?” He asked.

“It's a little sore.” Tori admitted.

“Let's get that taken cared of.”

Beck lead Tori out of the bedroom and toward the group, huddled in the living room.

Alan's office door burst open. He watched Derrick stumble in, scrambling back to his feet. He noticed that Derrick's face was covered in bruises, two gashes on his forehead, and a black eye.

“You better have a good reason why you came in my office uninvited.” Alan threatened.

Derrick gulped. “We found her boss.” He panted. Alan looked behind him then at the office door.

“Where is she?” Alan asked.

“I was...they took her boss. I was out numbered!” Derrick cried.

“Who took her?”

“That girl that gave you that scar.” Derrick answered, watching Alan's jaw clench and his left eye twitch.

Alan rose to his feet, walking out from behind his desk. Derrick felt his legs shake. He wondered if she should have mentioned the eye.

“You mean Jade?” He whispered, watching Derrick nod. Alan chuckled. “So now the girl responsible for the death of my men is in the hands of Jade? You had to fuck up the only chance I gave you!”

Derrick jumped. “P-Please boss give me another-” Alan's hands grabbed on to his neck.

A flare of fiery red shone through Alan's good eye, followed by a primal roar and Derrick's head was ripped right off his shoulders. He watched Derrick's body hit the floor in a spray of blood and Alan quickly discarded the detached head. He walked back to his desk, pull out a napkin from his desk and cleaned his hands. He pressed the speak button on his intercom.

“Send in a clean up crew, please?” He asked, lifting his finger off the button and picked up his phone. “Hello, Silvia? I think you want to come up here. I found the perfect test subject for you.”


	5. Chapter 5

“What?” Tori asked, noticing the pair of curious eyes on her across from the table.

She picked up another spoonful of her beef stew. The staring made her nervous. Tori can't remember the last time she's had the company or a decent form of communication. She's always been on the run, relying to herself, sometimes speaking to herself when she felt lonely enough.

Bashfully, Tori ran a hand through her brown locks and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She looked back at the group again, feeling that their staring didn't cease. Tori put her spoon down, scanning through the group, starting from the right and stopped at Beck.

“Do you really not know what we are?” Beck carefully questioned.

“Why are you surprised?” Tori replied.

“It's unusual.” Beck explained. “Do you have any idea what type of power you have?”

Tori picked up her cup of water and greedily drank half of it before putting it down with a heavy sigh. As much as she wanted to stuff her face with all this food, Tori's stomach wasn't used to heavy meals full with so much flavor and richness. She nearly felt sick eating the stew alone.

“I know that what I have has only hurts others around me.” Tori explained. “I'm destructive and dangerous.”

“It isn't like that.” Beck insisted.

“It's true.” Robbie added. “What you are is powerful, but that doesn't mean you can't control it. You have an incredible gift. It's what makes you different in the world you've been living in.”

Tori glared down at her bowl of soup. She never pinned good things about her power. It was something she wish she never had and she couldn't understand why it happened to her. Tori wanted to be normal and she wanted to be able to do things an ordinary twenty-one year old could do, but all she had done was run away from home and struggle to survive through the streets alone.

“I nearly burned my house down with my sister and mom still inside.” Tori rebutted. “The second time I almost set an entire park on fire. Do you consider that a blessing?”

“With your power comes great responsibility. We all have experience to wager on that.” Beck requited.

Tori scoffed, shaking her head at Beck's accepting approach. “You wouldn't understand.”

Beck pushed his chair closer to the table. He motioned for Tori to get closer. She leaned forward, carefully watching him.

“Watch.” He whispered.

Beck's eyes started to change, from a once brown hue to a orange glow and his mouth stretched back, exposing a set of curved elongated teeth. He let out a sharp growl, startling Tori from her seat. The unusual colored eyes disappeared and his teeth shrunk down to normal size instantly.

“Do you still think I don't understand?” Beck smirked.

Awestruck, Tori carefully sat back down, watching for any signs of Beck's beastly change. He watched her with a comforting smile in place. Tori looked around to the others.

“What are you?” She curiously asked.

“The mortals call my kind a werewolf.” Beck explained.

Tori's eyes widen in shock. “You mean, those exist?” Beck nodded. “You look so human.”

“I'm a Super-human. A more evolved human and a crossbreed of the older Supernatural Beings that used to live on Earth years before humans came.” Beck informed.

“We have a long history.” Andre added. “Only ones that have lived long enough with the mortals and wanted to make themselves known got names.”

Tori cringed, feeling her head spin. An entirely different species existed and within the world she has been living in years before any other human has be on Earth. The beast or monsters she watched in movies and read in stories were all real? Tori placed a hand to her aching head.

She looked down to her bandaged free arm. They even had ways of advanced healing. Not a single scar was left from her burn.

“Is Jade a healer?” Tori curiously asked.

“You can say that.” Beck shrugged. “But, she can do a lot more than just heal.” Beck answered.

“Does that mean I'm...”

“A Super-human, yes.” Beck confirmed. “Your kind is one of our most respected. There aren't many Elementals in the Mortal Realm. They all choose to stay in another realm to study and hone their skills.”

Tori's brow arched toward her forehead. “Wait, there is another world that we exist on?!”

Beck laughed. “Yes, with our own laws and society. Each Supernatural-Being has his or her place in our society not many choose to live on Earth with mortals. You'll like it there. It's surrounded by other Supernaturals. You can even get the right guidance to learn your powers.”

“Coming with us is one of the best things for you right now.” Robbie suggested. “We can help you understand yourself. You'll be learning in a controlled environment.”

Andre chuckled. “Yeah try convincing Jade that we should bring her along. She sees Tori as an offender. The only place she's going is to The Council.”

“I spoke to her earlier. Jade won't be taking Tori anywhere before she sees an Elder first.” Beck stated.

“Elder?” Tori interrupted.

Beck gave her a questioning look.

“This is some serious chiz.” Andre commented. “I don't think she's kidding.”

“All the more reason to see an Elder. She might have been hexed.” Robbie quivered.

“I'll go get Jade to start this meeting.” Beck excused himself from the table.

Jade brushed a finger along the inside of her forearm. Looking over her arm she noticed a set of black veins rubbing in the middle of her arm and hide under the bracelet she wore. Jade moved her hand into a fist. A sharp ache throbbed into her knuckles, causing her hand to flex open before closing again. The thicker vein of the three began to pulsate.

Jade reached over to her nightstand and opened the top drawer. Inside, she pulled out a medical kit and placed it on her bed. Delicate hands opened the box and picked up a packaged needle. Jade picked up a small bottle from on top of the nightstand once the needle was ripped from it's sterilized wrapping and put it upside down. The pointed end of the needle poked into the sealed bottle and the green liquid inside began to enter the needle.

Jade made sure to remove the air bubbles. Steadily, the needle poked through her arm and the liquid was emptied into her skin. With the needle empty, Jade put it on to the nightstand and sighed. The effects of the drugs were almost instant. A rush of queasiness hit Jade, but the ache in her arm had started to drift away.

She watched the veins on her skin begin to fade away, one by one until they were gone from sight completely and the ache went with it. A knock on her door tore her away from her hand. The door opened without her response, becoming a dead give away to who had decided to interrupt her.

“You missed a dose?” Jade looked up into Beck's worried face. “Have you been getting symptoms?”

Jade put the empty bottle and needle into the medical kit before closing it. She dropped it on to the nightstand.

“It's nothing serious.” She assured.

“Jade, I have to know these things and you need to be more on top of your injections. Lane had said-”

“I know what he said!” Jade grumbled, stumbling to her feet. “I took the injection now and the effects are gone.”

Beck cupped a hand on to Jade cheek and gazed into her eyes. Her eyes were slightly cloudy from the dosage, but any signs of dilation were gone. Beck pressed a hand to her forehead then around the back of her neck.

“You need to talk to Lane.” Beck urged. “It's been a year since you got examined. I don't get why you don't want to go back. What you have isn't stable.”

“I hate hospitals.” Jade replied. “Now if you're done playing doctor get out of my room.”

Beck withdrew his hand and stuffed it into his pocket. He had touched a sensitive topic. It was an unspoken promise that Beck wouldn't interfere with Jade's coping or medical needs.

Beck knew it had to do with Jade feeling vulnerable about it. She was used to her tough outer exterior. Beck for the most part had let Jade have her space. It was clear Jade didn't want to speak about it anymore and he was going to do just what she wanted.

“We're having a meeting, in case you forgot.” Beck reminded.

“What for?” Jade rebutted.

Beck scoffed. “It's about Tori. We can't just arrest her and hand her over to The Council.”

Jade took a step closer to Beck. The traces of drowsiness gone from her face and replaced with a more serious and angry expression. Beck stared back with just as much iciness, unshaken by Jade's heated glare. He crossed his arms over his chest and inhaled, puffing out his chest in the process and straightening his posture.

If Jade wanted to be emotionless and viscous he could be just the same. Beck was the only one strong enough and fearless enough to knuckle Jade down.

“We can and we will.” Jade promised, her tone low, dripping in venom. “It's what we do. It's what we signed up for.”

“It wouldn't be fair. She has no idea she's one of us and knows nothing about our world!” Beck argued. “She doesn't even know what an Elder is. I think something is wrong with her.”

Jade laughed. “You mean like she fell on her head and caught amnesia? I'm not buying it.”

“I mean it's possible she was raised human or her parents had chosen to keep her hidden from our society.” Beck responded.

Jade's stony glare dropped. “You're joking?”

Beck sighed, feeling his rage settle down. “It's either that or she was hexed, but her surprise and fear of our powers is a lot like a mortal. She doesn't know her own species. The death at the warehouse could have been completely unintentional!”

“Fine.” Jade sighed. “We'll take her to an Elder.”

So much for a group meeting. Beck was grateful convincing Jade hadn't been a lot longer than he expected. It would have cost him a headache for the rest of the day. That didn't mean he had saved Tori completely from any laws or punishment. The Council will still demand answers, but seeing an Elder can work in their favor.

“I'll go get everyone.”

“Again, why are we all in the bathroom?” Tori asked, noticing Jade give out an annoyed sigh.

“In order for you to see an Elder you need to travel to their realm.” Andre started.

“And for you to enter the realm you need a doorway to get you there.” Robbie explained. “Elders only live in our realm.”

“And every Super-Human that lives on Earth has his or her own portal for when they need to travel between worlds.” Beck finished.

“Jade's secret portal is in the bathroom.” Cat added.

Tori looked around the bathroom, trying to spot anything unusual. Her eyes flickered between the shower stall and the toilet. She rather take the shower clearly on size and volume if they all had to step inside to get through.

“Where is it?” Tori questioned.

Jade let out another heavy sigh. She stepped over to the sink and leaned over to press her finger against the mirror. Slowly, Jade slide her finger down the mirror and brought her hands together in a tight lock. A jumble of strange words muttered from Jade's mouth that Tori wasn't sure was English.

As the chanting died down Jade's hand glowed orange and she poked the glass with her still glowing fingers. The mirror once solid was now reacting like water as if a rock had been skipped along its surface. A ripple of waves surfaced from where Jade had poked it. The clear reflective surface of the glass turned black and a beam of purple light flooded the room.

Tori stood back. Squinting, she cupped a hand over her eyes to make the light more bearable. A gush of wind filled the bathroom, whipping Tori's hair along her face. Beck reached out and grabbed on to Tori's shoulder.

“Don't be scared.” He whispered. “Just hang on. It will be over before you know it.” They stepped into the portal together.


	6. Chapter 6

Tori closed her eyes as she went through the portal, expecting to fall to her death, but she felt nothing. There was no strange gut turning sensation she would get when she went through drops during roller coasters rides. Tori had no sense of space or time either. The gust of wind was gone and the blinding light was now a dim shade of violet.

Tori felt as if she were floating, surrounded by complete silence and weightless. A wash of warm heat tickled at her cheeks, flushing out the tension in her body. There was a split second of pressure in her legs and the violet shade blinded her again.

“We're here now. You can open your eyes.” Beck comforted.

Slowly, Tori opened her eyes, expecting to see a world full of freely running magical and majestic creatures, even a unicorn, but she was in the confines of Victorian themed office room. Tori looked behind her, staring at a small bookshelf. She turned back to the group of in front of her, waiting for her to recover. Tori had no signs of motion sickness, but the shock was enough to leave her completely immobile. Beck kept his hand on her shoulder, afraid she'll hit the floor.

“This is it?” Tori asked.

“Were you expecting something exciting?” Robbie responded.

“I just traveled to another dimension why aren't I twenty years older or sprouting horns? And why aren't there any unicorns?!” Tori commented.

“What?” Beck frowned.

“That's because you're not mortal so shifting between worlds have no effects on you. And I hate to break it to you, but unicorns are something mortals made up.” Andre replied.

“Can we just get through the day without you having to ask us a bunch of stupid questions?!” Jade complained. “We still have to walk to the east wing of the castle.”

“We're in a castle?!” Tori shrieked.

Jade groaned and rushed out of the office.

“It's where our king lives.” Cat nodded.

“It's also where the Elders live. Elders aid the king. Let's keep moving.” Beck spoke, bringing his team's focus to their task at hand.

Beck led them out the office and Tori felt a lot like a tourist on some type of international vacation as she was guided through the hall. Her plan of trying to blend in gone as she came across extravagant tapestries, armor-clad guards with spears in hands, servants and cleaning maids, and a strange looking woman wearing hand made silk robes and pointed long ears. Tori decided to not ask about it. She would save her questions for later.

Twenty minutes into their walk, they still weren't at the east wing and the curiosity was eating at Tori from within. She looked ahead of her to see that Jade was nowhere near earshot and was leading the group through the castle in a brisk stride. She took it as her window of opportunity.

“Hey, who is this Elder anyway?” Tori whispered.

“Oh, he's just some crazy coot.” Beck answered.

“What?!” Tori whined.

“Relax, he's not that bad. He can help you.” Beck assured. “Just, don't mind his strange ways of getting things done.”

Tori was lead through heavy polished oak double doors and entered what she could only describe as being the world's largest library. There were floors upon floors of bookshelves over seven feet high and they were packed with books, not a single space spared. Staring up into the stretching ceiling of this spacious workplace, Tori bumped into Andre and nearly hit the floor.

She gained her footing and realized that everyone had stopped in the center of the room. Tori took it as her chance to examine the room more carefully. There was a desk to the right of her, empty, and scattered tables and couches littered the room. She couldn't see any sign of this Elder, not that she knew what an Elder looked like. Tori was going to assume he was another human, or human looking at least.

“So, where is he?” Tori asked.

“Let's check the back.” Andrew recommended.

The group of six walked passed the empty desk and another door leading to a small room came into view. Peek between Andre and Robbie, Tori noticed an older man dressed in robs similar to that woman in the hall, but his colors clashed and looked a little worn out and he was completely barefoot. He had on reading glasses and held open a book with one hand as he read standing.

“Sikowitz!” Jade yelled.

He let out a loud shriek, flared his arms into the air, causing his book to toss a few feet into the air and fall behind him. Sikowitz rubbed the top of his balding head and ruffled his already disheveled hair as he became more calm and noticed the crowd in his door way. He brought a bunched hand under his chin and looked through the group before him and settled back to Jade.

“Jade,” Sikowitz stated. “Thank you for the heart attack.” He let out another heavy sigh. “What is it that you want?”

Andre and Robbie stepped aside, giving Sikowitz a clearer view of Tori. She stepped forward, feeling herself shake when he looked Tori over carefully. He let out a hum.

“Who is she?” He asked.

“Remember that case The Council gave us about the warehouse fire?” Jade started. Sikowitz nodded. “She did it.”

Sikowitz's face dropped to a more dreadful expression. “This is the rogue Elemental?” He examined Tori again, more carefully. “What is she doing in my room and not with The Council?”

“I think she made the fire on accident.” Beck interrupted. “When we found her she had no idea she was a Super-Human. I think it's because she was hexed. Can you identify it and reverse it before she meets The Council?”

Sikowitz let out another hum and grimaced. He rubbed the back of his wild hair before turning to one of the shelves behind him. Even this tiny bedroom, consisting of a twin bed and a round table had shelves, also full like the ones outside of the room. Sikowitz's hand ran along the spin of a dozen books and pulled out a dark green one from the middle of the shelf. He placed it on the round table.

“I will have to run a few test and it will take a few hours.” He agreed. “That's just looking through the common hex. I can't help you if it's much more serious. First things first,” Sikowitz walked across the room to another shelf and pulled out an over sized brown text book that he struggled to bring back to the table. It dropped to the table, causing it to rattle. “I'll need to sign you in during your visit for record purposes.” He opened the cover and looked over the brim of his glasses to Tori. “Name?”

“Tori Vega.”

“Mhm,” Sikowitz muttered, and stood up straight, hovering his hands over the book.

The pages of the thousand-paged book began to turn, slowly at first then picked up speed until a rush of wind pushed over several hundred pages at once and the book slammed shut. Sikowitz stared at it for a moment, nodding as he stared. He let out another hum and brought his fist back to his chin. Sikowitz began to pace, nodding as he paused several times then let out a sigh.

“What is it?” Cat curiously questioned.

“She isn't in the book.” Sikowitz mumbled.

“How is that possible?” Jade demanded.

“What does he mean?” Tori asked, watching the group exchange worried glances with one another. Tori became uneasy. “Will someone tell me what he's talking about?!”

“Your name is nowhere in our records.” Sikowitz answered. “That means you were never registered the day you were born.”

“It's mandatory that every Super-Human be registered. It's how the king keeps track of population growth and to keep an eye on any that have broken laws.” Robbie explained.

“Refusing to do so is punishable by law. Your parents would have been imprisoned.” Sikowitz responded. “The question is, why would you be unregistered?” Sikowitz glanced back to Jade. “This remains a secret from The Council and the king. Until I can finish those test they can't even know that she's here. Am I clear?” Jade slowly nodded. “Tori, I'll need some blood samples. Can one of you please escort Tori to Lane's office? You may begin your evaluation once I've received the samples.”

Beck offered to take Tori to the infirmary and the group broke up after. The tension within the group didn't go unnoticed on Tori's end. Even the way they stood or walked gave away the worry and fear how they felt about the entire situation, but Tori herself was not able to understand the problem. She could barely make sense of anything since she's entered this world. The laws and standards were so strange to her. Tori had never felt so out of place.

“Why do I need to take an evaluation?”

“You'll see.” Beck promised.

Lane had been more sane and welcoming than Sikowtiz. He looked a lot more presentable too, sporting a white coat with a casual, matching attire underneath. Lane had done his best to make Tori feel comfortable while she waited for him to prepare the samples. He didn't ask many questions about Tori or why she came after he was informed to take blood samples, but had made an effort at small talk each time he replaced a tube from the string attached to her arm.

Gathering the blood samples had went quicker than Tori expected, barely unnoticed as she focused on Lane's small talk as he continued to get what he needed quickly. It was a total of four tubes of blood and Beck and Tori dropped off to Sikowitz's room, where he had a stack of books on the table and a small cauldron in the middle of it. He waved Tori and Beck out of his room without so much of a _thank you_ when he received the tubes, lost in his books of spells and research.

With the samples out of the way, Beck brought Tori to the evaluation room. She assumed her evaluation was just another study room, or a doctor's office. The least of what Tori expected was a weight room. Tori walked into a room that resembled a public city gym. There were other people inside sparring, lifting weights, jogging on treadmills, doing other types of physical work outs.

Tori was only slightly relieved to see that she wouldn't be going into one of those boxing rings. Beck brought her to another room where the rest of Beck's team sat, waiting for Tori's arrival, bursting with excitement and curiosity, except Jade, who looked bored and disinterested. It wasn't anything Tori wasn't used to already. The control room was divided by a thick Plexiglas wall with a slide-in glass door.

“Hey, are you okay?” Beck whispered. “You look nervous.”

“Why do I have to do this?” Tori begged.

“It's so we can gauge the power of your skill and your ability to control it.” Beck patted Tori on the back. “Don't worry about it. You'll do fine.”

“Are you ready to begin?” Robbie asked, typing the last of three keys into the control panel.

The room beside the control room lit up. The glass door opened with a gentle swish. Tori gulped and steadily walked her way inside. The door closed when she had both feet inside. Tori made her way on to the black mat and turned to the wall in front of her. She looked back to the control room. Robbie was transfixed on the panel, typing away. Jade stood in the door way, arms crossed, glaring at Tori while she waited with that same bored expression.

Beck was being as comforting and supporting as usual and Cat was just in awe, probably lost in her thoughts on how Tori's evaluation would go. Tori felt her stomach clench and the urge to vomit came through her with the force of a two dropped cinder blocks.

“We'll start you off easy.” Robbie announced, from a speaker above Tori.

Tori inhaled sharply and nodded. A buzz filled the room and a light in front of Tori turned red. Thin three feet doors opened and a board with black figures taped on them came from the slots. They moved closer toward Tori in a slow pace.

Tori glanced down to her hands, using her abilities. She curled her hand into a fist. Tori had never done it on purpose or at her own free will. She doubt she had the power to get a spark to come from her fingers. Tori took another deep breath and focused on the target from the left of her.

She out stretched her hand to the target, expecting a rush of flame to rip through the air. Not a single burst of fire came. Tori didn't even feel that sharp burn in the middle of her palm that she always felt when her powers started to kick in. She focused to the target on the right of her, much closer than the previous target, and repeated the same outstretched hand gesture. Tori brought her hand down, examining her palm and sighed in defeat. She turned back to the control room.

“Are we done now?” Tori whined. “This isn't going to work. I don't even know how I managed to put anything on fire the last time it happened.”

Jade walked over to the panel, pushing Robbie aside. Tori could see Beck arguing with Jade as her fingers worked along the panel and Robbie was having a fit to the idea of someone else touching it. Andre was trying to keep the group calm while Beck continued to yell at Jade, who didn't bother to look at him since he started protesting. Jade stepped back when she was done and Beck looked down to the panel as Robbie instantly jumped on to his seat to fix her changes.

He kept looking back up at Tori with a strike of fear on his face then back to the panel. Jade finally acknowledged Beck when he put a hand on her arm and initiated the argument this time. Robbie slapped his hand on to the panel in frustration. Andre placed himself between his teammates, seeing that the distance during their argument was shortening. Cat was frozen in fear, watching the chaos with tear-filled eyes.

“Tori!” Robbie panicked. “Tori, watch out behind you!”

Turning around, Tori nearly hit the ground startled as a huge fire ball hurled her way. Tori felt the heat it radiated as it got closer and felt her skin begin to burn as it grew closer. Flushed with fear, Tori had done an instinctual, yet defenseless action, and covered her face. She closed her eyes, expecting the fire to instantly cover her in flames and melt her skin on impact or obliterate her completely. Instead, Tori was over come with a cooling sensation from her hands and the heat disappeared.

Opening her eyes, Tori stared, mouth wide open, to the six foot tall wall of water that separated her from the flame. The deadly fire was now a blackened smoking rock and hit the floor. Tori turned her hands around, noticing she wasn't feeling the usual burn in the middle of her palms, but instead a strong chill that made her fingers go numb. Tori dropped her hands and the water dropped to the floor, pooling at her feet into a puddle.

The control room door opened. Beck was the first to enter that platform.

“We have to get you back to Sikowitz, right now.” He demanded.


	7. Chapter 7

Tori reached Sikowitz's study room just as he was leaving his bedroom. She was still too shaken to say anything nor did she know where to begin. The events from her evaluation were still fresh in her head, but she couldn't make any sense of it. No one tried to explain her situation on the walk to Sikowitz's study room, not even Beck. The silence didn't make Tori's certain state any better either.

“Ah, perfect timing!” Sikowitz greeted. “I was just on my way to the evaluation room. You won't believe what I've - Is something wrong?”

He looked among his the group, finally noticing their dampen mood. Tori glanced down to her folded hands, feeling her uneasiness intensify. Would she find out that she's a bigger danger than she thought?

Was her ability defective or uncontrollable? What if even the most skilled teacher wouldn't be able to help her? Tori found herself becoming lost in what if theories and maybe's.

“We have to talk.” Andre said.

“We just finished giving Tori her evaluation.” Beck replied.

Sikowitz raised a brow. “I see. And, the results?” He asked.

Tori looks between Andre and Beck as they exchange a glance with each other. She noticed the start of her worries come back to her. The fear even more unsettling.

“Tori isn't an ordinary Elemental. She used water to take out a hurling fireball!” Robbie informed, in an outburst of shock.

Sikowitz did a double take of Tori. He walked over to his desk, placing his text book on the table and a slip of paper next to it. “Is that so? Then that would explain my finding.”

“You care to elaborate on that?” Jade questioned.

Sikowitz opened the folded piece of paper and slid it over to the front of his desk. Tori stationed herself next to Sikowitz, leaning down to read the slip. It was in a completely strange language Tori has never seen before.

“Ah, well, I found a strange discovery while I was examining Tori's blood.” Tori raised a brow at Sikowitz. “Every test that I ran with Tori's blood kept neutralizing several of my ingredients, while I was brewing potions. I immediately sent it to Lane. Based on Lane's findings, the drug he found in the blood is some type of suppressant. In other words, it was used to suppress your powers and keep you human.” Sikowitz continued. He glanced back at Tori. “Were you aware of this?”

Tori nearly lost all color from her face. She never dared to question her parents the day she was given those pills at the age of thirteen. She trusted them. They had always watched after her. Her parents loved her and cared for her with the utmost of concern.

Tori felt a build up of tears. Her parents lied to her. They kept a part of her identity a secret. Did that mean they couldn't live with the fact that their daughter would be something otherworldly? Were Tori's parents unable to accept her for who she is?

“I didn't know any of this.” Tori admitted, brushing away a stray tear.

“How many times were you given this medicine?” Sikowitz asked.

“Once, sometimes twice a day.”

“That you know of.” Sikowitz said. “It's possible they could have slipped it in your food or your drink if the regular dosage weren't doing enough. These are very power suppressants. For whatever reason, your parents went through the extra mile to make sure they worked. How long were you taking them?”

“I stopped last year.” Tori frowned. “Why would they still be working if I stopped?”

“These aren't normal pills. They are mixed with magical elements and properties. And with good reason might I add.” Sikowitz ran a hand down his face. “Based on your evaluation and the traces of your medication, Tori, you have the potential to become a Supreme Elemental and at such a young age!”

“A what?”

“A Supreme Elemental is the highest and most honorable rank an Elemental can receive. It is only achieved by Elementals that have mastered the use of all four elements with perfect control and skill. Very few Elementals reach this rank. Yet here you are, with the ability to use fire and water without little to no training and under the effects of a very potent drug. You are no ordinary Elemental.” Sikowitz clarified. He ran a hand through his flaring messy hair. “I want her out of this realm.”

“What?” Tori replied.

“Sikowitz!” Andre complained.

“You can't just kick her out of this realm. You have no power to do so.” Beck reminded.

Sikowitz nodded. “I'm aware, but if she stays here the king will find out about her and know soon enough that she is the one who made that fire then he will know we have no record of her existence and everything will spiral out of control. Her parents will be put up for treason and I don't mean imprisonment anymore. It will be an execution for the use of black market drugs.”

“She isn't any safer on earth.” Robbie defended. “There's no doubt that Alan is still looking for her.”

Sikowitz nearly stumbled over his chair. “Alan? As in, Alan Wright, the crazy nut that nearly killed the king five years ago?” Sikowitz let out a heavy sigh. “When were you planning on telling me this?”

Jade shrugged. “It never came to mind. Besides, he's our problem.”

“This is not good. This is much worse.” Sikowitz rambled. “You must leave with Tori at once. If he's looking for her, who is to say he won't find her here and finish the job with the king? Our whole kingdom is at risk!” Sikowitz got to his feet and briskly walked toward his room. “Before I forget, Jade, I am making you Guardian.”

“What?! You can't do that!” Jade protested.

“Are you serious?!” Tori shouted. “She's the one that nearly killed me during my evaluation!”

“There is no way I'm going to watch after some defenseless and out of control Elemental! I'm a Reaper. My only job is to bring in offenders to The Council, not protect them.” Jade said.

Sikowitz nodded, halfheartedly, listening to her complains. “Oh, I know. But being that Tori can not see The Council or the king and her being here can cost the lives of an entire kingdom, it's best she goes into hiding on earth. With your protection as well as your entire team of course. As leader, she is your responsibility. I'll arrange for your relocation.”

Sikowitz gathered the group in the center of the room, ignoring Jade's death glares and presented his portal disgusted in one of his bookshelves. They were back in Jade's bathroom in less than ten seconds. Tori locked eyes with Jade and gulped when she gave Tori a dirty look before rushing out of the bathroom. Beck chased after her.

Tori turned to Andre. “Sikowitz wasn't serious about her watching after me was he?”

“Oh he was.” Andre answered. “You'll be staying with Jade and Cat.”

“Yay! Slumber party!” Cat yelled, taking a hold of Tori's arm and pulled her into a hug.

Tori sighed, desperately pleading with Andre and Robbie to have enough pity for her to offer to take her in instead. Taking their minute of silence as no, Tori let out a whine of defeat. Andre put a comforting arm on her shoulder.

“Sorry. An order is an order. You're on lock down until further notice.” Andre sighed. “Alan is a big threat.”

“Who is Alan?” Tori asked.

Andre glanced back at Cat who's bright spirit went to a sad and fearful expression. He put a hand around Cat into a firm hug.

“You can ask later when Cat is not around.” Andre replied. “Just don't be so worried about staying here. Jade is usually so busy that you'll mostly be home with Cat to keep you company.”

“I should probably get the barrier spell ready before I leave.” Robbie suggested.

“A what?” Tori frowned.

“It's a common protection spell used on homes to keep enemies away. It will make it harder for Alan to find you.” Robbie explained. “Come on, I'll show you how it's made.”

Robbie and Tori left with Tori trying to keep up with Robbie's nerdy talk about spells and potions and how many different types there were. That would be a whole different level of training on its own. Tori would have more than enough time to learn it since she was stuck here.

Andre looked down to Cat when they were gone. She still had a fearful expression. Andre nudged her. She blinked several times out of her trance and looked up at Andre with a blank stare. He gave Cat another hug.

“You'll be okay little red.” Andre promised. “We will watch after you and Jade won't let anything happen to you again.”

Cat gave Andre a smile that lacked its usual warmth and joy. “Promise?” Cat whispered.

Andre smiled. “I promise.”

Cat hugged him back. She smiled before letting him go and leaving the bathroom.

“We need to talk Jade.” Beck called, closely trailing after her as she picked up the pace of her walk.

She had been aimlessly walking through the city blinded in a fit of rage. It had been progress compared to how she used to deal with her anger. Beck was grateful she didn't try to attack Tori, but he knew she would put the blame on Tori for having to take care of her. That mean Jade would treat Tori with bitterness and out of spite. Walking through his fifth block, Beck ran up to Jade and grabbed her arm. She spun around, pulling her arm free and pushed Beck.

“Why can't you take a hint when I want to be alone?” Jade hissed.

“I couldn't let you walk out like this.” Beck answered. “You have a responsibility Jade.”

Jade scoffed. “I didn't ask for it. I have enough on my plate to deal with.”

“So you'll let Alan take Tori? Who knows what he'll do to her. Don't you remember what happened to Cat when-”

“Don't bring up Cat! She was in a completely different situation.” Jade interrupted.

Beck sighed. “I think Tori was brought to us for a reason.” He watched Jade's face soften. “You want to find Alan and he wants her. We can use that to our advantage.”

Jade carefully thought of the possibilities. She had a full team, granted Cat was still on her way to recovery, even though she insisted she was well enough to join it again. Jade had refused to bring her with the team for her safety. With Tori's arrival, the team would be full again, but Tori lacked the knowledge and skill that Jade required from her teammates. Jade didn't like the idea of Tori being apart of her team either.

“She's no good without training.” Jade commented.

“We can arrange that.” Beck assured. “So, are you reconsidering?”

Jade defensively folded her arms over her chest. “I didn't say that.”

Beck smiled. It wast he closest he was going to get to a yes from her. Given enough time, training, and chances to prove her worth, Jade would be welcoming of Tori, until then she was just considered an annoying responsibility to her that needed to be taught and watched after, much like a whiny baby, and Jade didn't like babies. Cat was a handful as it is.

“Let me buy you a drink.” Beck offered.

Tori cringed as she scanned through Robbie's collection of bottled ingredients. Why he would need a jar containing a rabid feral looking rat was beyond her, but she didn't want to ask, nor find any other ingredients he had in his bag. Tori was sure that wasn't even half of what he owned even though an entire counter was littered with bottles and jars. Robbie looked through small colored bottles before picking up a blue one and dumped the contents inside his bowl.

Tori couldn't kept up with the spells and potions Robbie rambled on about and what was needed to make them. It sounded worse than her chemistry class back in high school. The names were strange and complicated and the rules to mixing were just as difficult. In the mess of Robbie's rambling, Tori found that mixing wrong ingredients could result in toxic gases and a trip to an early grave. She let Robbie make the spell, while she decided to watch.

“What's up with Cat?” Tori asked.

Robbie stopped mixing and looked back at Tori with a more heavy expression. He turned back to his bowl and started to mix again. She didn't understand, Andre told her to not ask about Alan in front of Cat, but there was no mention of her not asking what happened to Cat if she was so scared of Alan. Tori watched Robbie gulp.

“What?” Tori questioned again.

“It's a long story.” Robbie mumbled. “And it's a very touchy topic.”

“Is she okay?”

Robbie sighed. “I don't think...look, Alan is a dangerous guy for a reason. Five years ago, Cat...he did something to her. She hasn't been the same since. That's all I can tell you. I don't know what he did. Only Jade knows.”

“Well I'm not going to ask Jade.” Tori agreed. “She hates me enough as it is.”

Robbie reached over for another bottle and put two drops of orange liquid inside his concoction. “She's difficult to get along with to anyone. But because you now have been assigned to her and she's your Guardian she has more of a reason to hate you.” Tori smacked Robbie on the arm. “Ow!”

“What is a Guardian anyway?”

“It's someone who gets assigned the responsibility of another Super-human or a mortal if they're important enough. Guardians work mostly with the king, but there are a few on earth to help us Reapers with keeping the streets safe.” Robbie answered. “Reapers have a higher power than Guardians and a lot of us are put into higher job positions. A Guardian can be given any position, even one of a homeless man.”

Tori felt her head begin to buzz again in a cloud of confusion. “You have a huge legal system. Do I need to know any of this?”

“If you don't want to break any laws, yes. I have a book for you to read later.” Robbie informed. “The potion is done.”

He pulled out a match. The bowl was put on to the counter before he lit the match and threw it into the bowl. A small fire covered the inside of the bowl and died down to a umber glow. Tori gagged.

“It stinks!” She cried.

“Can you be quiet? I need to focus on the spell.” Robbie instructed. “Ow!”

“Please, I told you what I know!”

Alan glared down at the crying man crouched at his feet. He glanced back at Silvia with a smirk on his face. She raised a brow in return with a smile of her own in place. Alan sighed and kicked the hand that landed on his boot. The weeping man jumped.

“What you told me is nothing useful!” Alan shouted. “Are you lying to me, Marcus?”

A wail erupted from Marcus' quivering mouth. Alan cringed, watching him wipe away tears and slobber from his face. Puffy and red eyes looked up at Alan, Marcus pushed himself into a sitting position.

“I-I'm sorry!” Marcus whimpered. “I told you everything! It's all I know I swear. I'm not lying!”

Alan frowned. “Stand up.”

Marcus began to shake again, hesitant to get to his feet. Alan glared when he refused to move. Quickly, on wobbly legs, Marcus got to his feet and gulped. Alan looked back to Silvia who smiled in turn. Alan faced Marcus again.

“I put you here for one reason.” Alan started. “You're supposed to be scouting for any Reapers. How is it that you haven't seen any?!”

“I-I-please!” Marcus yelped.

“Will you shut up already?!” Alan groaned, pushing his fist forward.

Marcus gasped as Alan's gloved-fist pierced through his chest and easily burst out his back. A trickle of blood slid down the corner of his mouth as he opened it and stared at Alan with wide and dazed eyes. On reflex, Marcus' hands clamped around Alan's arm and let out a choked whine. Alan yanked his arm back and watched Marcus fall to the ground, now a lifeless mass. He looked to his closed hand and dropped the heart he held in his palm to the floor. Alan shook his hand, flicking off the coat of blood before turning around. Silvia handed him a cloth.

“Remind me to replace him.” Alan sighed. “I can't fucking believe this. We've been looking for hours and I still can't find an unskilled elemental. How difficult can that be?!”

“We'll find her. We have eyes all over the city.” Silvia assured.

Alan let out a heavy sigh. “We'll see how useful they will be.”


	8. Chapter 8

Tori was up by before sunrise. She's had the most difficult time sleeping. It was odd how being in a comfortable bed and a lively house had brought so many worries. Tori can remember having easier nights that she has slept better in while living inside an abandon building since she has been on her own. Tori couldn't remember having this many fears and doubts.

The only concern was the search for water and a source of food. The dangers of hostile strangers out to attack her for some type of sick enjoyment. Tori was scared in this perfectly functioning and secure structural building.

While as clueless as Tori was to the intense distraught feeling, in the back of her mind Tori can be somewhat sure the root of her fears was from Alan. She didn't know what to expect from him. She knew nothing about him, nor how he looked. Tori could only guess how powerful he was based on Robbie's explanation. The more she went over it the more Tori wasn't confident enough to see that she could master her powers to fight him and a Supreme Elemental no less.

It would be easy to blame Sikowitz and his wild moment of insanity and Tori would have an easier time ignoring the magnitude of her strength had it not been for Andre, Robbie, Beck, and even Jade instantly agreeing with his statement. Tori had spent nearly an hour last night reflecting on herself and an hour staring at her hands and how she could get them to coordinate to tie her laces without fumbling, yet they were able to wield the power of a blazing forest fire easily killing thousands of lives in just several minutes.

A Supreme Elemental.

Tori thought otherwise. She thought very little of the title to begin with. It wasn't any easier coping with the fact that her powers had a name. Tori was given a category, a title in a group of a hidden civilization that in its own needed time for Tori to wrap her head around an otherworldly society just underneath her nose.

All Tori had done was accidentally destroy things and nearly killed her mother and sister. Then that tiny tickle in the back of her throat came and all she wanted to do was cry and wail as she thought about the lies and secret her parents had kept about her. Tori couldn't deny that they had no clue that their child was gifted. She was the only one given the medicine.

Pushing away her worries, Tori stared at her reflection, examining the state of her features. The lack of sleep had left her eyes red and dry. She had dark circles and bags underneath. Tori patted down her messy hair before washing her face with ice cold water then made her way to the kitchen. Upon entry Tori spotted Cat at the table, eating a bowl of fruit loops. She looked up at Tori with a smile.

“Good morning.” Tori greeted, opening the fridge and looking through her choices of food. “Jade isn't up yet?”

“She hasn't come home.” Cat answered, dropping bits of cereal as she spoke and wiped away the droplets of milk on her chin.

Alarmed, Tori closed the fridge and turned back to Cat with a frown. “Jade never came home? Where is she?”

Cat shrugged. “I don't know. She usually comes back later on in the day when she does that.”

Tori opened the fridge again and pulled out a container of orange juice. She opened the first cabinet to her right took out a cup. Cat went back to munching on her cereal.

“Shouldn't we go look for her? Where's Andre, Robbie, and Beck?” Tori asked.

“They're at work.”

“But they work with you and Jade.” Tori pointed.

“That's their other job.” Cat clarified. “We all have jobs with the humans to fit in.”

“Why aren't you at work then?” Tori curiously asked.

Cat tapped at her chin, debating if she should tell or remain quiet for the rest of her meal. Tori gave her a comforting smile, putting Cat's quizzical expression at ease.

“I used to work with Jade as a private investigator, but she doesn't let me tag along anymore.” Cat pouted.

“What do you usually do when you're home?” Tori walked over to Cat, placing a arm around her shoulder. “You know what, I think I know what we can do until Jade comes back.”

Silently thinking over the possibilities to the added company, Cat gave up after pondering about it for several seconds. “Have a tea party?”

“No, you can help me train. You know about this new world better than me and you have a power right?” Tori answered.

“Oh, I don't...” Cat nervously scratched the back of her hand. “I'm not allowed to practice in any kind while at home without Jade.”

“You don't have to use magic. You can just help me with mine.” Tori clarified.

Startled, Cat began to violently shake her head and slip out from under Tori's arm. Seeing that the suggestion was unsettling, Tori chose to ignore the urge to question Cat's uneasiness and try a different option.

“Okay, then you can help me make potions.” Tori changed.

“We don't carry ingredients here. Jade said leaving them around with me in the house can be hazardous.” Cat squashed.

“Um, okay, then how about books?” Tori asked.

Cat relaxed, feeling more at ease. “You have trouble reading too?”

“What? No! I can read!” Tori corrected. “I mean what about history books? Ones on the legal system or rules, just something that can help me learn. I feel like a newborn baby in this big new world while everyone around me just smoothly fits in.”

“Oh.” Cat replied, pressing a finger to her chin, caught in thought of what she knew about books. “Well, we do have books.” Tori smiled. “But, Jade keeps them in a chest-box that's in her room closet. She doesn't trust me with them either.”

Grunting out of frustration, Tori leaned back in her chair before taking a deep breath. She couldn't leave the house, she couldn't train, Jade was gone. Tori wasn't sure how long she could last stuck in boredom. The only thing that kept her from the fear was distracting herself with something of more importance. She had grown accustom to a constant traveling and gathering life style.

“You want to watch TV?” Tori suggested.

“Can we watch cartoons?” Cat whispered, staring hopefully back at Tori.

Letting out a defeated sigh, Tori sat back into the couch and picked up the remote. “Sure, why not.”

Clicking on the TV, the apartment door opened Jade rushed through, going straight to her bedroom. Looking over the couch, Tori got to her feet and Cat sat watching Tori make her way to Jade's bedroom door. Tori knocked and tapped her knuckles against the door again when she didn't get an answer the first time.

“Jade?” Tori called.

“What?!” Letting out a huff, Jade slowly turned around, glaring at Tori, who remain unaffected to her shout.

Cat slowly ducked down the couch to hide. Tori made her way over with an equally angry face. Jade's jaw clenched down, somewhat intrigued back the lack of fear in Tori's behavior. The amusement easily died and Jade was left annoyed once again.

“Where were you?” Tori questioned. “I thought you were supposed to be the one to teach me?”

“Let's get one thing straight,” Jade growled. “You are not my mother, nor are you the king or any type of authority. I don't ever have to answer to you. Are we clear?” Putting a hand to the bridge of her nose and firmly pinching it before sighing, Jade closed her eyes for a second to keep the throb in between her head in control. “Beck will teach you tomorrow.”

Tori frowned. She had felt somewhat entitled to some privileges, once she knew Allan was targeting her. She needed to defend herself. Tori wanted to feel somewhat safe if she were to be on her own. The more knowledge she had about Allan, her powers, and the secret society she unwillingly stepped into, the more comfortable and safe she felt. Tori needed to be ready and she didn't want to put off training any longer either.

“What about the books?” Tori questioned.

“Books?”

Tori shrugged. “Cat said you have books I can learn from. If you're too lazy to teach me I might as well teach myself.”

Jade's brows knit together into a frown. No one had been courageous enough to question her authority, nonetheless order her around and insult her for her actions. Tori stood in front of Jade unaffected from her stare. That had done enough to nearly make Jade explode with rage.

“You know what,” Jade sneered. “Since you're so eager we'll start training tonight. Cat will walk you through what you'll need. We leave at 10.”

Jade gave Tori one last glare and marched into her room. The sound of her bedroom door slamming echoed through out the house. Cat hopped her way over to Tori and latched on to her arm, staring at the door.

“She'll make you regret this.” Cat mumbled.

“I'll be fine.” Tori nervously laughed.

Cat walked away, plopping back on the couch to watch the rest of her show. Tori gulped, scratching the back of her ear and trying to calm her sudden bout of fear. She had no idea what to expect during training. She wouldn't hold it against Jade to get her nearly killed as it's happened before during her evaluation. Tori let out a heavy sigh. She should have probably waited until Beck was off work.


End file.
